Latest News
- 02.12.2008 - News & Star
- 20.11.2008 - Sunday Sun
- 17.11.2008 - Sunderland Echo
About Us
National Fraud Initiative
Contact: (0191) 203 1266 - Sue Childerstone, Head of Payroll Services (Newcastle) or Contact: (0191) 244 8602 - Paul Turner, Head of Human Resource Services
The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is required by law to protect the public funds it administers. We may share information provided to us 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 Trust's accounts. It is also responsible for carrying out data matching exercises.
Data matching involves comparing computer records held by one organisation against other computer records to see if 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 indicates that there is an inconsistency that requires further investigation. Sometimes inconsistencies are because of a genuine error and these exercises help us to promote the best use of public funds.
What this means for you
The Audit Commission currently requires us to participate in its anti-fraud inititive 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.
This means that details of all employees on the Trust payroll will be provided to the National Fraud Initiative office. Amongst other things the exercise is likely to highlight employees who have more than one employment. These employees are recommended to ensure that they have complied with the terms and conditions of their employment contract and the working time agreements adopted by the Trust regarding secondary employment.
Code of Practice
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 www.audit-commission.gov.uk/nfi/codeofdmp.asp.
For further information on the Audit Commission’s legal powers and the reasons why it matches particular information, see www.auditcommission.gov.uk/nfi/fptext.asp.
For more information
Should you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact either Sue Childerstone, Head of Payroll Services, Tel. (0191) 203 1266 or
Paul Turner
Head of Human Resource Services
The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Freeman Hospital
Heaton Road
Newcastle
NE7 7DN
Tel. (0191) 244 8602
paul.turner@nuth.nhs.uk
