What is this leaflet for?
This leaflet is to tell you about NHS Fraud and who you can talk to if you are worried about this.
A member of staff or a carer can support you to read this booklet. They will be able to answer any
questions that you have.
What is fraud?
Fraud is someone cheating or telling lies to get money that does not belong to them.
This means taking money from the person who it belongs to.
The kind of NHS fraud that might affect you
There are many types of NHS fraud but the main one that might affect you is patient money.
This is when someone changes the patient money records to get cash which does not belong to them.
What is done to stop this?
There is a policy that must be followed by staff when dealing with your money.
The policy shows how the records should be filled out and who can sign for your money.
Checks are done to make sure that staff have dealt with your money in the right way.
Who can you talk to if you have any worries about this?
If you don’t know what your money has been spent on you can ask:
- the ward manager
- an advocate
- Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)
Remember that most NHS staff are honest and are only trying to help you with money matters.
If you are still not sure that your money has been spent in the right way, you might be the victim of fraud.
Getting help
If you are worried that you might have been a victim of fraud, contact the Trust’s director of finance or counter fraud specialist.
You can ask someone to help you do this.
Email: counterfraud@audit-one.co.uk
Telephone: 0191 441 5936 or 07973 814 207
You can also call the NHS Fraud and Corruption Reporting line.
This is a freephone number: 0800 028 40 60
Problems, complaints or suggestions
Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust has a complaints policy.
If you want to complain we will give you a leaflet to explain how to, or you can talk to a member of staff.
If you think there are things we could do to make our service better please tell a member of the team.
Further information about the content, reference sources or production of this leaflet can be obtained from the Patient Information Centre. If you would like to tell us what you think about this leaflet please get in touch.
This information can be made available in a range of formats on request (Braille, audio, larger print, BSL or other languages). Please telephone the Patient Information Centre on 0191 246 7288
Published by the Patient Information Centre
2025 Copyright: Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust
Ref: PIC/391/0525 May 2025 V7
Review date 2028
Website: www.cntw.nhs.uk
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