Risk culture: Combatting fraud in healthcare

The discussion focused on fraud in the UK's NHS, highlighting its complexity and the need for robust risk management. Alex Rothwell, CEO of the NHS Counter Fraud Authority, detailed the extensive fraud landscape, identifying 124 types of fraud and corruption. Key risks include internal insider fraud, collaboration with external entities, and supply chain fraud. The NHS faces an annual fraud loss of £1.3 billion out of a £160 billion budget. Rothwell emphasized the importance of strategic intelligence assessments, proactive risk management, and international collaboration to combat fraud effectively. He also discussed the role of AI and machine learning in enhancing fraud detection capabilities.