Sponsored by
Health chiefs calling for vigilance after drugs fraud case
A HIGH profile case in which a Hull man cheated the health service of thousands of pounds' worth of drugs has underlined the need for patients and staff in the city to remain vigilant about prescription fraud, health managers said.
With fraud costing the UK an estimated 30bn a year – 58 per cent of it in the public sector – there has been a number of recent NHS investigations which have underlined the extent of the problem in recent months.
NHS Hull said these included the prosecution of Peter Jorgensen, who was convicted in August 2009 of obtaining property by deception and of fraud by false representation.
Using a number of different identities, Mr Jorgensen obtained prescription medication from GP practices in Hull, the East Riding, North and North East Lincolnshire, between 2006 and 2008.
Jorgensen, 37, was given a range of mainly pain-killing drugs, including codeine and diazepam, from five doctors' surgeries in Hull and North Lincolnshire.
He was only caught when he tested positive for a blood-thinning drug at a practice which had not prescribed it.
Andrew Wilson, prosecuting, told Hull Crown Court at the time: "Formal identification was not required to register and that is a loophole the NHS is seeking to close."
Jorgensen, of Bathurst Street, Hull, used the names Claus Jensen, Claus Larsen, Claus Jarsen and Claus Jonsen. The total the cost of the drugs he obtained was 4,332.
The court heard Jorgensen had been convicted of three counts of obtaining property by deception in similar circumstances in 2001.
He was given a four-month custodial sentence suspended for 12 months, received a supervision order of up to 12 months and a drugs rehabilitation requirement of up to 12 months.
The scale of the problem throughout Britain has been underlined by new figures from the National Fraud Authority, released last week.
The Local Counter Fraud Specialist for NHS Hull, Nikki Cooper, underlined the human cost of the fraud and appealed for help from residents in reporting offenders.
She said: "Whilst crimes of this nature may appear victimless, money, medication or any other resources taken fraudulently from the NHS mean there is less available for the people who need it most: our patients.
"Anyone who suspects a person of fraudulent activity or any type of dishonesty should consider the impact that fraud has on patients and the public and report it.
"We always investigate suspicions of fraud with the aim of reducing fraud and corruption in the NHS to an absolute minimum."
Any suspected fraudulent activity can be reported, in confidence, to the NHS Fraud and Corruption Reporting Line on freephone 0800 028 40 60.
Email to a friend
Print this page- Three-inch blanket of snow heading our way today
- Alan Shearer in list of favourites for Leeds and England jobs: Latest odds
- Barnsley’s Keith Hill invokes Fawlty Towers over link with Leeds job
- McCormack feels United search can be narrowed down
- Redfearn throws down gauntlet as queue builds at Elland Road
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Yorkshire
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -2 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 7 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 2 C to 5 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: North west
