Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to prevent fraud by GP Consortia.

The Government takes fraud against the National Health Service very seriously and uses a range of measures to prevent, detect, and respond to fraud.

We have a comprehensive Counter Fraud Strategy in place, supported by a coordinated, system-wide approach across primary care, including in general practice, to identify and mitigate fraud risks. This includes the use of Fraud Risk Assessments and Initial Fraud Impact Assessments to understand and manage risks across contracted services.

A network of Local Counter Fraud Specialists operates across England, providing a comprehensive counter-fraud service to NHS organisations.

In addition, the NHS Counter Fraud Authority is a dedicated special health authority tasked with leading the fight against fraud, bribery, and corruption in the NHS in England. Where allegations of fraud are received, appropriate action is taken, including criminal investigation where appropriate.