International Fraud Awareness Week (IFAW) 2022 takes place 13-19 November when organisations across the globe dedicate time to raise awareness about fraud. The week-long campaign will reduce the impact of fraud by raising awareness among employees.
This year NHS Counter Fraud Services (CFS) will focus on bribery and corruption, what it is and how to recognise the signs.
NHS Lanarkshire has in place a number of arrangements to protect itself from the risk of fraud, corruption and bribery, however, in the current climate of change there are issues that increase the risk. Changes in structures, systems and the turnover in employees, as well as the external pressure due to the economy – which have been heightened due to the Covid-19 pandemic – all contribute to the risk of fraud. It is the duty of every member of staff to comply with NHS Lanarkshire’s ‘Code of Conduct and Fraud’ policy and to report any suspicions of fraud immediately. NHS Lanarkshire is determined to take all reasonable steps to prevent and identify fraud and, where fraud is identified, take appropriate action.
Morag Holmes, NHS Lanarkshire’s head of internal audit/fraud liaison officer, said: “I’d advise staff to be vigilant and would encourage anyone who suspects fraud to report it without delay. They can either contact myself or call the fraud hotline on 08000 151628.”
CFS offers a fraud awareness eLearning module, hosted on Turas. The module raises awareness of fraud, what it is, the impact it has in NHS Scotland and also guidance on how to protect the organisation from fraud. The module forms part of mandatory training for employees to complete every few years.
The link below features the launch of IFAW 2022 and relevant resources. It also provides a link to the CFS intranet page, available to all NHS Scotland employees.
International Fraud Awareness Week 2022 (office.com)
For more information visit the fraud page on FirstPort at: http://firstport2/staff-support/fraud/default.aspx. Alternatively, contact Morag Holmes on 01698 752770 or email Morag.Holmes@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk
