I was delighted to Chair the proceedings and had the real pleasure of welcoming delegates from across the counter fraud and related professions not only locally and nationally in the UK but from Cyprus, Singapore, USA, and Belgium. What brought us all together in London was a commitment and dedication to the global problem of finding and preventing fraud.
There was a great vibe in the room and often standing room only to hear the speakers talking about the areas and issues that matter to us all. Our own Tricia Morrison, David Dixon, George Cooke and Richard Rippin gave excellent presentations about their work for the CFA which were extremely well received.
A highlight of the day was the launch and positive response to Project Athena our new innovative project to find fraud and prevent losses to the NHS through the way data is collected. This will be on a scale never done before enabling us to focus on prevention by finding patterns in data which are indicators of fraud.
Health Minister, Lord Markham said about the project:
“Project Athena will use the latest data analytics tools to help the NHS stay ahead of the game, not only identifying cases of fraud, but preventing them from happening in the first place.”
The whole day was buzzing with discussions, conversation, and copious amounts of notetaking during the presentations.
The overriding take on the day was extremely positive and as one delegate said:
“The attendance of experts from more than one area was invaluable for us to exchange ideas and means in which we are all working together to tackle fraud.”
The day ended with the Counter Fraud Awards Ceremony. Tricia Morrison, Tim Barlow and Richard Rippin were all shortlisted and although they didn’t win it was great to have their expertise and skills recognised.
A big well done to the winners and everyone shortlisted. It was an enjoyable evening and a fitting close to a stimulating and motivating day. We very much look forward to next year.
Alex Rothwell
CEO NHS Counter Fraud Service