The Sentinel. MIAA Anti-Fraud Newsletter Summer 2018

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1 The Sentinel MIAA Anti-Fraud Newsletter Summer 2018 Help Drive Down NHS Fraud Truck Campaign On Friday 22 June, a large lorry pulled up at Stepping Hill Hospital, part of Stockport NHS Foundation Trust. The lorry was from NHS Supply Chain, delivering healthcare supplies to the hospital as part of its logistics service. At the same time it was also delivering a message to everyone on site and on the road, a message written in large letters on the sides of the vehicle: Help drive down NHS fraud. In this edition: Help Drive Down NHS Fraud Truck Campaign NHS Fraud Cases update NHS s 70th Birthday on the BBC & ITV Action Fraud- An Abuse of a Position of Trust Scams and Alerts Procurement & Invoice Fraud Guidance Stockport NHS Foundation Trust s Local Counter Fraud Specialist, Neil McQueen, was there when the lorry arrived at Stepping Hill Hospital. He said: I think it s great that the message about NHS fraud is being transported around on the trucks, not only for the NHS staff who get to see it but also because it tells the general public that NHS fraud is very much an issue that we re trying to counter. The NHS Counter Fraud Authority (NHSCFA) is working with NHS Supply Chain to deliver the message about NHS fraud to health bodies across large areas of the country. Starting in June, five NHS Supply Chain lorries will show an advert from the NHSCFA enlisting NHS staff and members of the public in the fight against NHS fraud, and encouraging them to report any concerns they may have about fraud. The advert includes a call to action to report NHS fraud, and provides details on how to make a report by phone (using the free, 24-hour phone line which is powered by Crimestoppers) or on the NHSCFA website Sue Frith, interim Chief Executive Officer of the NHSCFA, said: We are very glad to be working with NHS Supply Chain on this campaign. The fight against fraud may not always be as visible as the delivery of healthcare supplies, but it is very much a part of the daily life of the NHS. Darrell Davies Assistant Director (Anti-Fraud) darrell.davies@miaa.nhs.uk Internal Audit Anti-Fraud Technology Services Advisory Services Events and Briefings Healthcare Quality continued on page 2 MIAA MIAA

2 NHS fraud cases update continued from page 1 I hope people seeing the lorries will want to find out more about the NHSCFA and report any concerns they may have about NHS fraud to us. Medical recruitment agent masterminded multiple NHS fraud conspiracies of 73,000 The NHS Counter Fraud Authority are using social media and other channels to spread the word about the lorries, and are assisting health bodies visited by the lorries with local publicity around them. As the lorries become a familiar sight on the roads and on NHS premises, we hope people will want to learn more about NHS fraud and counter fraud work at both national and local level. Direct payment fraud highlights risk area for NHS & local authorities Trustee of direct payment sentenced for fraud and ordered to pay back 17,000 after NHS local counter fraud investigation. The mother of a disabled woman has been found guilty of fraud against the NHS and a county council (14 May 2018). Sandra Reynolds, 67, of Kayte Lane, Bishops Cleeve, near Cheltenham, pleaded guilty to false accounting earlier the same day. She made a personal gain of 17,000 from the fraud. Reynolds daughter has both learning and physical disabilities. continued on page 3 Seven people sentenced for conspiracies to defraud and a moneylaundering offence after investigation by NHS Counter Fraud Authority. A medical recruitment agent, along with four health care assistants and a nurse he had persuaded to defraud the NHS, have all been sentenced at Kingston-upon-Hull Crown Court (18 May 2018) for conspiracy to defraud. Charles Elad, 46, was working as a recruitment officer for ID Medical at the time of the offences. Each of the five workers were convicted of conducting separate fraud conspiracies with Elad. His wife, Tanyi Elad, was convicted of a money laundering offence. The total loss to the NHS was 72,991. Various NHS hospitals in England were targeted, including Scunthorpe General, Royal Blackburn, Shrewsbury and Darlington. Elad enlisted George Kiberu, Violet Nhende, Abosede Amusan, Ernest Anonyo and Rilindis Bessem to submit large numbers of fraudulent timesheets to the recruitment agency, who were unaware of the fraudulent activity taking place. The agency workers were subsequently paid for the unworked shift. The agency then unknowingly invoiced the various Trusts for these shifts. Once an agency worker had been paid for these ghost shifts, Charles Elad would then request they make a payment to him, using his wife Tanyi Esekang Elad s bank account to hide the transactions. The initial investigation started at the local level. As they realised the problem extended to other areas, the Local Counter Fraud Specialist referred the case up to the national body. NHSCFA investigators were able to prove in court both that Charles Elad had conspired with the other defendants, and how he had been the orchestrator of their activity. Charles Elad received three years imprisonment. Abosede Amusan and Rilindis Bessem received 16 month and six month prison sentences. The remaining defenadants received prison sentences (all suspended for two years) - of eight months, 15 months and eight months. 2

3 continued from page 2 A substantial direct payment, jointly funded by the NHS Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group and Gloucestershire County Council, was granted annually to meet her multiple care needs. As Trustee of this direct payment budget, Mrs Reynolds was responsible for administering it wisely on behalf of the service user. However, a fraud investigation led by Gloucestershire NHS Counter Fraud Service revealed that Sandra Reynolds was diverting money from this direct payment fund into her own personal bank account. In addition, the hours worked by the service user s sister as a personal carer had been inflated by Reynolds. The hours supposedly worked by the sister were recorded, without her full knowledge, on monthly timesheets. The investigation established that she could not possibly have worked these hours; firstly, because she had a full time job and secondly, because she was out of the country at some of these times. Sandra Reynolds was initially charged with a single indictment of fraud by false representation, for submitting the false timesheets over a six year period between 2008 and She has been given a conditional discharge and must pay back the money defrauded within 14 days. ACTION FRAUD Abuse of a position of trust What it is When someone abuses their position of authority or trust for personal or financial gain, or so that someone else loses money or status. Protect yourself Make sure you have complete confidence in anyone you entrust with your finances to make decisions on your behalf. Don t be afraid to change your mind in future. Grant the trust to more than one person to make joint decisions (so everyone in the position of trust has to agree on decisions together). You ll need to be prepared to challenge suspicious behaviour if you ve been given a position of trust alongside someone else. BBC & ITV MARKING NHS S 70TH BIRTHDAY To help mark the NHS s 70th birthday, the BBC is broadcasting a season of programmes that started on Monday 25 June. Catch them on the iplayer. ITN have worked with NHS teams across the country to produce a current affairs-style programme looking back at 70 years of innovation. Presented by newsreader Natasha Kaplinsky, it covers day one of the NHS story right up to the people driving change and best practice now. View it online Spot the signs You re being pressured into making a decision by someone you ve given a position of trust to. You re being intimidated or told to keep certain dealings secret from other trustees. You notice something suspicious in the finances of the person who has entrusted you, such as a large purchase or bank transfer. How it happens Friends, family members, carers or company employees may be asked to look after your personal or business finances. They may instead take advantage of their access to bank accounts or information for their own benefit, or misuse the assets of a business to embezzle funds for themselves. If you have been given a position of trust, it is your responsibility to keep a close eye on the individual s finances, particularly if they are vulnerable. Handle bills and statements with care and shred them before throwing them out. 3

4 Scams and alerts phishing alert Fraudsters are using what appear to be genuine NHS addresses to target staff with phishing s. accounts are deeply tied to your online identity, making them a lucrative target for criminals. Protect yours with a strong, separate password. #CyberAware Don t use the same password for everything you do. Once one of them is compromised, they are all compromised. Don t keep adding a number at the end of your password when you are required to change it. Choose a new one. Don t use your date of birth Beware of s from unexpected contacts especially if they want you to click on links! Do use a combination of numbers and letters and special characters and capitalization. To create a strong password use a combination of three random words plus symbols and numbers Don t use the name of your partner / child / dog Do change your passwords regularly Don t write them down Don t keep the same password you were given by IT on your induction. Don t share your password with a colleague NHS Procurement & Invoice Fraud Guidance The levels of fraud reporting within procurement are very low, but it is a huge area of spend and activity, crossing all sectors of the NHS. NHS non-pay spend is approximately 27 billion per annum. The NHSCFA estimates that in , the loss to procurement fraud was 252m. Procurement and commissioning fraud, with a particular focus on post-contract invoice manipulation, is one of their organisational priorities for the financial year. The NHSCFA has recently published two updated guidance documents: Pre-contract procurement fraud and corruption: Guidance for prevention and detection Invoice fraud: Guidance for prevention and detection Both documents are available on the NHS CFA website at texttttt The documents aim to provide LCFSs, finance staff and procurement staff with an understanding of how fraud can affect both the pre-contract and invoicing stages of the procurement process. They include an introduction to the subject areas, an overview of the NHS procurement and invoicing environment and practical advice on the most effective ways of preventing and detecting fraud and how to report suspected fraud and corruption. 4

5 Contact your Darrell Davies Assistant Director (Anti-Fraud) Paul Bell Senior Anti-Fraud Manager Claire Smallman Anti-Fraud Manager Kerry Wheat Anti-Fraud Manager David Alford Roger Causer Nikki Cooper Lynne Doherty Ann Gregory Kevin Howells Phillip Leong Virginia Martin Karen McArdle Neil McQueen Michelle Moss Jacqui Procter Cath Robson #antifraud