It’s been claimed that fraud in the health service costs the taxpayer £5 billion each year. A University of Portsmouth and BDO publication concluded that a further £2 billion is wasted due to errors. Key types of fraud include the non-payment of prescription charges by patients, medical professionals claiming for work they have not done and overcharging by contractors. Labour has accused ministers of presiding over a “scandalous abuse of precious NHS resources”, but the Department of Health has said it “does not recognise” the figures.
