International Fraud Awareness Week (IFAW) 2023 takes place 12-18 November when organisations across the globe dedicate time to raise awareness about fraud.
The annual event, now in its 24th year, aims to educate individuals and organisations about the importance of fraud prevention and detection. 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 the main risks of fraud in health and social care and offer advice and guidance on how to identify, prevent and report fraud.
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, 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 would advise staff to be vigilant and 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 2023 and provides a link to the CFS intranet page, which is available to all NHS Scotland employees.
For details on the responsible officers for fraud within NHS Lanarkshire click on the link below.
NHS Lanarkshire Communication (office.com)
For more information visit the fraud page on FirstPort. Alternatively, contact Morag Holmes on 01698 752770 or email Morag.Holmes@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk
