What we do
Operations Assurance is a service delivered by the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care. We were established in 2023 to meet Government Counter Fraud Function principles, which set out that public sector bodies must carry out activities to verify and prevent fraud.
We work collaboratively across our organisation to continuously improve how the NHSBSA operates day to day - by identifying opportunities across our services and referring cases to the Loss, Fraud and Prevention team if fraud or financial loss is detected.
We aim to provide assurance that NHSBSA's operational activities are running as intended – free from potential vulnerabilities that could be exploited, whether deliberately or by accident.
Our activities
Our work has included:
- Post Payment Verification (PPV)
- Fraud Loss Measurement exercises
- Verification under Data Protection Act (DPA) requests
- Financial data verification
Who we work with
As part of our work, we may need to contact external partners and organisations to verify data we hold. These include: - NHSBSAs Loss and Fraud Prevention team - NHSBSAs Data Science team
- Local Councils
- General Practitioners (GPs)
- NHS and healthcare professionals
- National Anti Fraud Network (NAFN)
- NHS scheme beneficiaries
- General Registry Office
The difference we make
Our work has contributed to:
- the recovery of NHS funds to the public purse
- the prevention of incorrect use of public funds
- improvements to NHSBSA processes, including automation
- the measurement of potential loss and error within NHSBSA schemes
- informing potential policy changes