08.05.11
Fraudulent dentists swindle millions from the NHS
‘Rogue’ dental practices are exaggerating and inventing work to defraud the NHS, according to an audit of 5,000 invoices by NHS Protect.
Some practices were submitting false claims on behalf of non-existent patients, and others for more work that had really been carried out.
The audit data suggests than in 2009/10, the year during which the check was made, the NHS could have been defrauded of around £73.1m, based on 3% of invoices being fraudulent.
The Dental Contractor Loss Analysis Exercise, published today, suggests that by 2014, the NHS could lose a further £146.3m if such dental fraud goes unchecked.
The Conservatives have pointed the finger at the new dentistry contracts introduced by Labour from 2006, while Labour has blamed the fraudulent dentists and called for tougher action from regulators.
As part of the audit, NHS Protect traced almost 4,200 patients and asked about the work they had had done, and cross-checked this against what their dentist had claimed for.
It found that 75% were honest, 22% were unverifiable – including cases where patients couldn’t be traced – but 3% were classed as ‘suspected contractor fraud’.
Health minister Lord Howe said: “This is money that should be spent on patients. It is a great shame that a minority of dentists have been able to game a complex and confusing contract.”
But Jamie Reed, Labour’s shadow health minister, said: “Fraud is the fault of the fraudster, not the contract. The Tories are shamelessly playing politics by trying to blame the rules instead of the people who break them.”
The Department of Health said it would introduce a new dental contract which would tackle fraud by streamlining and simplifying payments.
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