NHS Improvement
Wellington House
133-155 Waterloo Road
London
SE1 8UG
Tel: 020 3747 0800
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is a government department supported by a number of organisations that are listed below. Click on the links to find out more about a specific organisation.
Confidentiality
Find out more about reporting in confidence
How to report fraud
Find out more about how to report fraud to NHS Counter Fraud Authority
Start a new report
Complete and submit your fraud report online
How will your information be used?
Find out how your information will be used
Getting feedback on your report
Find out about our feedback policy
Useful links
Find useful information if your fraud does not concern Department of Health and Social Care, NHS and wider health group
Department of Health and Social Care & wider health group
Find out about reporting fraud and corruption with the Department of Health and Social Care, their agencies and public bodies
When you contact NHS Counter Fraud Authority (NHSCFA), you don't have to give us any information about yourself unless you want to. Telling us who you are may help us to investigate matters more quickly and effectively, but you can choose not to give us your name if you prefer. All information you provide will be treated in complete confidence.
There are three ways of reporting that determine how your personal details are handled. You can find out more about each by clicking on the headings below.
Choose this category if you have no concerns about your personal details being linked to the information you are providing (or if you are reporting something in an official capacity as part of your job). This means that your details will be held with the information and made available to the investigating officer. This will allow us to contact you easily if anything needs to be clarified.
Choose this category if you are happy to provide your personal details to NHSCFA but would like your personal details separated from the information you are providing. Measures will be taken on receipt to ensure that the information that you have provided does not reveal your identity. Your personal details will not be disclosed to anyone including the investigating officer without your permission unless we are obliged by law, or it is in the wider public interest.
NHSCFA take their duty of confidence to people reporting issues to them very seriously and do not routinely disclose any personal details submitted as confidential without permission.
However, in rare circumstances there are exceptions to the duty of confidence that may allow disclosure of confidential information.
Only where serious crime, abuse or serious harm to others is involved would NHSCFA be permitted to disclose personal information without consent. They must judge that the public good that would be achieved by the disclosing of the information would far outweigh their obligation of confidentiality. This is very rare and NHSCFA would have to robustly justify their decision to do so.
Wherever possible the matter would be discussed with the individual concerned and consent sought.
Choose this category if you would prefer to remain completely anonymous in your dealings with NHSCFA. We will not ask you for your name or any contact details. Please be sure to provide as much information and detail as possible regarding the fraud, as we will not be able to contact you again for further information.
Employees of Department of Health and Social Care, NHS or wider health group - If you are reporting concerns in respect of an area of business for which you are responsible or in the course of your official duties it is not usually appropriate to use this option. Please consider using the LINKED option.
You can report any concerns you have about fraud or corruption in the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS and wider health group using this secure and confidential online system.
If you prefer you can speak to one of our experienced call handlers on 0800 028 4060.
Whichever method you use to make your report, it is helpful if you have all the relevant information to hand. This may include, for example:
The online system or the call handler will help you by taking you through a series of questions designed to make sure you get the opportunity to tell us all you know. Please remember you don't need to know everything about the suspected fraud to make a report. However, telling us everything you do know will help us deal with the matter effectively.
When using the online form you will be able to attach supporting documents to your report.
All information you provide will be handled professionally, sensitively and in accordance with the law.
NHS Counter Fraud Authority (NHSCFA) investigates fraud and corruption in the National Health Services. Our specialist staff will quickly decide if the matter you are reporting is something they can deal with or if it needs to be passed to another organisation.
Good factual information that is specific and supported by evidence is more likely to result in an investigation. However, information based on observation, local knowledge and opinion can still be valuable in contributing to our knowledge and help us to protect the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS and wider health group against fraud.
NHSCFA will consider the strength and relevance of the available evidence to decide whether your information is suitable for investigation. If it is, it will be allocated to a trained fraud investigator, either locally at an NHS organisation or within a specialist team at NHSCFA.
Investigations need to be planned and executed carefully and looking into complex matters may take considerable time. It is likely that work being undertaken will not be apparent to you.
It is not always possible to start an investigation for every item of information we receive. However, we will always retain your information to help increase our knowledge of Department of Health and Social Care, NHS and wider health group fraud and we constantly review our decision as new information becomes available.
Your personal details will not be disclosed to anyone without your permission unless otherwise stated below, we are obliged by law, or it is in the wider public interest. .
NHSCFA take their duty of confidence to people reporting issues to them very seriously and do not routinely disclose any personal details submitted as confidential without permission.
However, in rare circumstances there are exceptions to the duty of confidence that may allow disclosure of confidential information.
Only where serious crime, abuse or serious harm to others is involved would NHSCFA be permitted to disclose personal information without consent. They must judge that the public good that would be achieved by the disclosing of the information would far outweigh their obligation of confidentiality. This is very rare and NHSCFA would have to robustly justify their decision to do so.
Wherever possible the matter would be discussed with the individual concerned and consent sought.
NHSCFA specifically collects information on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care, its arm's length bodies and executive agencies. NHSCFA will pass on all information relating to the Department of Health and Social Care its arm's length bodies and executive agencies to the Department of Health and Social Care Anti-Fraud Unit.
If the matter you are reporting is not for NHSCFA to deal with, we may pass the information on to another anti-fraud agency or the police so that it can be followed up by the right people. Please refer to the useful links area to look at other options for reporting your if you don't think they are related to the NHS or the Department of Health and Social Care, its arm's length bodies or executive agencies.
When you provide information to NHSCFA, you will be given a reference number. You will be able to use this reference to add information to your original report at any time.
Can I get feedback?
The sensitive nature of criminal investigation work means that we normally cannot keep you updated on the progress of any investigation, discuss specific individuals or inform you of the outcome of an investigation. This doesn't mean that your information was not important and useful.
However, NHS Counter Fraud Authority (NHSCFA) are entitled to share progress updates on the investigation with NHS Directors of Finance, NHS England, the Department of Health and Social Care and the Police as appropriate and feedback will also be provided to stakeholders who have 'account holder' status.
NHSCFA recognises the importance of witnesses who report crime and when a formal investigation is established will strive to update formal witnesses as appropriate.
We appreciate your patience and understanding in this matter.
Type of attachments - doc, docx, xls, xlsx, pdf, jpg, jpeg, gif, rtf, bmp, png, tif and tiff.
4MB max size of each attachment
6 attachments per report
You may continue to review your report and save it - it will not be sent to NHSCFA until you formally 'submit' it.
Your report is now with the Intelligence Unit at NHS Counter Fraud Authority (NHSCFA) and is waiting to be read. All reports are read promptly by an officer as soon as reasonably practicable.
The risk this matter presents to the NHS has been assessed by the Intelligence Unit at NHSCFA and a formal priority grading has been allocated to your report. This enables us deal with the most pressing issues quickly. Please note that reports received are not dealt with chronologically and those presenting a greater risk to the NHS are prioritised. Your report is now waiting in a HIGH / MEDIUM or LOW queue to process.
An Intelligence Officer is now thoroughly reviewing the information you have provided. They will need to corroborate the information you have provided and establish the facts. This involves comparing it to existing intelligence and undertaking analysis and research. It may also require the interview of relevant third parties. It is possible that at this stage an Intelligence Officer may contact you for further information.
An Intelligence Report, which includes your original information, has been developed and passed to Senior Managers to authorise and determine the next course of action.
It has been determined that the information available supports the view that a fraud may have occurred. The Intelligence Report has now been passed to the Local Counter Fraud Officer (LCFS) responsible for the relevant Health Body to progress this matter at a local level.
The sensitive nature of criminal investigation work means that with the commencement of a formal investigation the Intelligence Unit will no longer routinely provide progress updates through this system. However, the investigating officer may need to contact you during the period of investigation.
It has been determined that the information available supports the view that a fraud may have occurred. An Intelligence Package has now been developed and passed to the National Investigation Team within NHSCFA to progress this matter.
The sensitive nature of criminal investigation work means that with the commencement of a formal investigation the Intelligence Unit will no longer routinely provide progress updates through this system. However, the investigating officer may need to contact you during the period of investigation.
It is not always possible for NHSCFA to initiate an investigation into every matter that comes to attention. In this instance it has been determined that this matter cannot be progressed at this time. A reason for this decision has been provided.
If related information is received from another source, or if you are able to provide additional information, this decision will be reviewed and can be reconsidered.
Even though specific action has not been taken on this individual report, it doesn't mean that your information had no value. All information submitted to NHSCFA has value as it contributes to a national picture of fraud within the NHS which informs our strategic priorities for the future and improves decision making.
The Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 (PIDA) provides a statutory framework for protecting workers from harm if they blow the whistle on their employer. With effect from 1 February 2016 NHS Counter Fraud Authority (NHSCFA) is a 'prescribed person' under this act.
This means that if an employee tells NHSCFA about any suspected wrong doing they believe may have occurred (including crimes and regulatory breaches) they will qualify for the same employment rights as if they had made a disclosure to their employer.
Providing information in this manner is known as 'whistleblowing' and disclosures meeting the legal standards are called 'protected disclosures'. If a 'protected disclosure' is made, the worker may have a right to redress through the employment tribunal should they suffer a detriment or be dismissed from work as a result of making that disclosure.
When a disclosure is made to NHSCFA it is escalated beyond the employer, and NHSCFA can act upon the information that has been disclosed to them.
Whistleblowing provides valuable information on criminal and regulatory breaches as well as general wrongdoing which enables NHSCFA to gain a greater understanding of issues impacting and take appropriate action.
In its capacity as a 'prescribed person' NHSCFA is not responsible for deciding whether the individual who has made the disclosure qualifies for protection. Ultimately this will be decided by the employment tribunal in contested cases. NHSCFA is unable to become involved in a grievance between workers and employers, other than to confirm that a protected disclosure was made.
For more information about whistleblowing please go to www.gov.uk/whistleblowing
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is a government department supported by a number of organisations that are listed below. Click on the links to find out more about a specific organisation.