Fake and fraudulent doctors are being targeted by NHS Counter Fraud Service (CFS) and the General Medical Council (GMC).
As part of a more comprehensive Memorandum of Understanding, the NHS Counter Fraud Service and the General Medical Council today agreed to share information relating to suspected fake and fraudulent doctors. The agreement means that the NHS CFS and the GMC will be better able to protect NHS resources from fraud and ensure that patients are properly safeguarded.
Signed in June by Jim Gee, Chief Executive of the NHS CFS, and Finlay Scott, Chief Executive of the GMC, the agreement demonstrates their commitment to closer working and opens up wider communication channels between the two organisations. Relevant information held by both parties will be disclosed, within the constraints of the Data Protection Act and Human Rights Act, and used to strengthen investigations.
Jim Gee, Chief Executive of the NHS Counter Fraud Service, said: “As the NHS evolves so must its policies, systems and medical regulatory procedures. Doctors are trusted members of society and both the GMC and the NHS have a responsibility to ensure their integrity is upheld. A dishonest few should not taint the commitment of the majority.
“The agreement means it will be easier to root out and take action against fraudsters by allowing information relating to suspicions to be shared quicker and the necessary action taken immediately. Both the NHS CFS and the GMC are committed to seeing NHS resources reach their intended target and patients receiving quality care from qualified doctors. We are also working on similar agreements with other regulatory bodies, including the General Dental Council.?
Finlay Scott, Chief Executive of the GMC said: “This agreement facilitates the exchange of information necessary to safeguard patients and to protect the NHS from fake or fraudulent doctors. We are delighted to be strengthening our already successful relationship with NHS CFS in this way. We are committed to working with the NHS CFS and other partners to ensure clearer standards and stronger safeguards, which together will improve patient safety and enhance the quality of healthcare.”
This agreement follows the high profile case of Barian Baluchi, an Iranian-born asylum seeker, who was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment on Wednesday January 26, 2005 at Middlesex Guildhall Crown Court for impersonating a doctor and defrauding the taxpayer and charities of and estimated £1.2m. The sentence followed a joint-investigation by the NHS Counter Fraud Service and the Metropolitan Police. Omid Amidi Mazahri was sentenced to two years imprisonment on March 3, 2005 at Southwark Crown Court for impersonating a dentist and undertaking dental work at surgeries across South London. Between March 2002 and June 2003 it is estimated that Mr Amidi-Mazahri treated at least 600 patients at his partner’s – Ms Mojhan Azari – surgeries in Norbury and Tulse Hill. She was jailed for 12 months for falsifying claims and allowing Mr Amidi-Mazahri to work at her surgeries.
Similar Memorandum of Understandings have been signed with the Association of Chief Police Officers, the Inland Revenue and the Audit Commission. Between 1999 and 2004, the service reports that it cut pharmaceutical patient fraud by 60pc, dental patient fraud by 25%, optical patient fraud by 23pc and, in some areas, fraud by NHS professionals by 31 to 46pc. There is a 97pc successful prosecution rate. Counter fraud measures have produced a financial benefit to the NHS of over £671m since 1999, the service adds. To report any incident of suspected fraud in the NHS, call the Fraud and Corruption Reporting Line on 08702 400 100.
