20 December 2018 
Emma Keenan, Procurement Specialist
Last week saw my first meeting of the Counter-Fraud Working Group. This is a group of interested and responsible persons throughout the sector, currently chaired by Sarah Randall-Paley, Director of Finance at Lancaster University. The group includes Finance Directors, Registrars, Heads of Procurement, Risk Managers and Governance Officers; the range of roles mean conversations are varied and wide ranging. If you are interested in becoming a member, the group meets twice a year and you are welcome to attend, just get in touch.
We saw a really interesting presentation from the NHS counter fraud authority, an organisation that has been running in one form or another for over 30 years. They revealed some pretty frightening facts, like the estimated annual loss to the NHS from Fraud is currently at around £1.29bn per year (sadly that is not a typo!). Also, we learned that the average cost to a private business of fraudulent activity is around 5% of turnover. A stark reminder that in a time where costs are rising, and efficiencies are being sought, looking at this risk must be fundamental to institutions.
What became very clear throughout the presentation and the discussions the group had following that, is that culture and communications are key to both identifying and preventing fraud. Ensuring all staff know about how to report anything they think is unusual in a way that they feel comfortable doing so– be that directly or anonymously – will make the difference in problems continuing or being identified and resolved quickly. Celebrating the sharing of information widely and rewarding open honest communications will reap benefits for all.
