The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) has been named as a runner up at the Health Service Journal Value Awards for its work to tackle fraudulent and incorrect claims for free NHS prescriptions and dental treatment.
The NHSBSA started checking claims for free prescriptions in 2014, after it was identified that over £216m is lost each year through unpaid charges. Since then, the checking process has expanded to include claims for free dental treatment and the number of claims checked is continuing to increase.
So far, over £50m has been recovered for reinvestment in NHS services. In addition, it’s estimated that the value of patient behaviour change is over £116m.
Alison O’Brien, Head of Loss Recovery Services, said:
‘Since the service was launched, colleagues across different areas of the NHSBSA have worked together to improve outcomes for our customers while creating value for the NHS.
We’re continually refining our checking processes and we work hard to help patients understand whether they’re exempt from paying NHS charges. For example, we’ve developed an online eligibility checker and we recently sent new information materials to all pharmacies and dental practices.
We’re also making significant improvements to how our customers interact with us, including the introduction of an online application for people who want to challenge their penalty charge notice. We’re currently testing this with a small group of customers and expect to make it more widely available soon.
We were up against some tough competition, so to be shortlisted in this category is a fantastic achievement that reflects the hard work of everyone involved.’