National Fraud Initiative (NFI) 2012

 This authority is required by law to protect the public funds it administers. It may share information provided to it with other bodies responsible for auditing or administering public funds, in order to prevent and detect fraud.

 The Audit Commission appoints the auditor to audit the accounts of this authority. It is also responsible for carrying out data matching exercises.

 Data matching involves comparing computer records held by one body against other computer records held by the same or another body to see how far they match. This is usually personal information. Computerised data matching allows potentially fraudulent claims and payments to be identified. Where a match is found it may indicate that there is an inconsistency which requires further investigation. No assumption can be made as to whether there is fraud, error or other explanation until an investigation is carried out.

 The Audit Commission currently requires us to participate in a data matching exercise to assist in the prevention and detection of fraud. We are required to provide particular sets of data to the Audit Commission for matching for each exercise, and these are set out in the Audit Commission’s guidance, which can be found at www.audit-commission.gov.uk/nfi.

 The use of data by the Audit Commission in a data matching exercise is carried out with statutory authority under its powers in Part 2A of the Audit Commission Act 1998. It does not require the consent of the individuals concerned under the Data Protection Act 1998.

Data matching by the Audit Commission is subject to a Code of Practice. This may be found at http://www.audit-commission.gov.uk/nfi/pages/codeofdatamatchingpractice.aspx 

For further information on the Audit Commission’s legal powers and the reasons why it matches particular information, see   http://www.audit-commission.gov.uk/fairprocessing  For further information on data matching at this authority contact {name and contact details}.

For further information on data matching at this authority contact Sallie Cheung, Local Counter Fraud Specialist, on Gloucester 318826.

  Where are we now?

October marks the start of National Fraud Initiative (NFI) 2012 and a data matching exercise which will see payroll information for all NHS staff being checked with other payroll data and with a range of other public sector organisations and agencies.

Run by the Audit commission, the data matching exercise takes place every two years, with the NHS and most other public sector organisations and agencies taking part.

In October, the Trust will provide payroll information and this will be matched with other payroll data to check for people who have two or more employments.  We then use this information to check if any of these people have been working elsewhere when on sick leave from any of the Trusts for whom we work.  From the last data matching exercise in 2010, we identified around a dozen people who had been doing this.  The data is also matched with, for example, benefit claims, pensions, disabled badges and student loans to check if anyone is receiving benefits or other payments that they should not; and with UK Borders and Immigration to ensure no-one is working illegally.

NFI 2010/11 helped trace almost £229 million in fraud, error and overpayments in England.

Across the country:
731 people were prosecuted;
164 employees were dismissed because they had no right to work in the UK;
235 properties were recovered for social housing;
31,937 blue badges and 51,548 concessionary travel passes were cancelled;

See www.audit-commission.gov.uk/nfi or please call the Local Counter Fraud Service on 01452 318826 for further information.