Policy paper

DHSC counter-fraud policy: summary

Published 20 May 2025

Applies to England

Fighting fraud, bribery and corruption is the responsibility of all Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) staff and it is expected that staff are vigilant in detecting potential fraud, preventing and reporting it. Therefore, it is essential that all staff undertake the mandatory fraud, bribery and corruption training annually to ensure they have the skills required and to refresh their knowledge.

The department is committed to improving its response to fraud, which includes learning lessons from the past. The department does this by holding regular conversations with teams across other government departments to, for example:

• share intelligence
• identify system weaknesses from identified frauds
• record recommendations

DHSC approach to fraud

DHSC takes cases of fraud, bribery and corruption very seriously. All cases of misconduct, including those related to fraud, corruption or bribery, will be dealt with promptly, transparently, fairly and consistently in line with the department’s discipline policy.

Dishonest or fraudulent conduct while employed within the Civil Service constitutes gross misconduct and, where proven, can lead to dismissal, possible prosecution and placement on the Cabinet Office internal fraud database, which can lead to a 5-year ban on applying to work in the Civil Service.

DHSC’s approach to tackling fraud is based on the following principles. That:

• preventing fraud and other types of financial loss is critical to maintaining a sustainable health service
• the approach should be centrally driven and managed, with clear lines of accountability for all staff up to board level within DHSC and each constituent organisation within the wider public health and social care group
• it is a collaborative approach between organisations, with a clear senior management commitment to developing a consistent and organised mechanism for sharing both information about identified and potential risks, and best practice
• reducing fraud and/or financial loss is the responsibility of all staff, and should be reinforced with a clear assurance framework, underpinned by consistent guidance and clear escalation routes. Everyone needs a clear understanding of how and what to report, which then allows specialist counter-fraud staff to take matters further
• the department needs to build on these achievements and extend consistent principles and best practice to all parts of the NHS

Who the policy applies to

DHSC’s counter-fraud policy outlines the department’s approach to preventing and detecting fraud, bribery and corruption. It applies to all DHSC:

• employees
• secondees
• agents
• contractors
• agency workers
• suppliers

Expected standards of behaviour

Fraud prevention is everyone’s responsibility. All DHSC employees should ensure their behaviour meets the standards expected of them as set out in the Civil Service code and the department’s code of business conduct. Civil servants are expected to operate with integrity and to comply with all laws (including the Fraud Act 2006, Bribery Act 2010 and any subsequent legislation). Being vigilant about fraud is a core expectation of all DHSC staff - this includes preventing, detecting and reporting it.

In performing their roles, and in meeting the Civil Service code, all staff should:

• undertake fraud, bribery and corruption training annually - this is mandatory in DHSC
• report any reasonable suspicion of fraud, bribery and corruption using the reporting routes stated below

Reporting suspicions about DHSC

DHSC encourages staff, delivery partners and the public to report any suspicions of fraud or bribery. This can be done through the NHS Counter Fraud Authority or Crimestoppers. The laws on whistleblowing, and the department’s own whistleblowing policy, ensure that these concerns are taken seriously, treated confidentially and investigated.

For further information or to report concerns, email the fraud team reportingfraud@dhsc.gov.uk.