Authors: Diana Bociga gelvez , Nicholas Lord and Katie Benson
Date of event : 28/01/2026
Location: Hilton Leeds City, Leeds
Members of the SCAN team, Katie Benson, Nick Lord and Diana Bociga, attended the NHSCFA Local Counter Fraud Specialist (LCFS) Conference 2026 in Leeds, where they hosted a stand allowing attendees to learn more about the project and register their interest in participating in the research. The conference brought together LCFSs from across England and Wales under the theme Building Collaboratively: Local Insight, National Impact.
Key reflections from the conference
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- From reaction to prevention: A strong focus on shifting counter fraud work towards prevention and proactive risk identification was set out in a workshop led by Richard Rippin (Associate Director for Operational Services, NHSCFA). This included discussion of national data-driven initiatives such as Project Athena and Project WISE, and the role of analytics in supporting local decision-making.
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- Local priority fraud risks: Workshop discussions with LCFSs highlighted a range of priority fraud areas, including staffing fraud of various kinds (e.g. false credentials or non-declaration of previous sanctions in recruitment, impersonation fraud, timesheet fraud, and dual working); fraud in ICB-managed care packages and Section 12 Mental Health Assessment processes; and procurement fraud. Discussions also raised concerns about the challenges of investigating alleged fraud involving senior NHS staff, particularly where Trusts may be reluctant to pursue cases that risk the loss of specialist expertise.
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- Investigative challenges: In a session on managing impersonation fraud, Claire Smallman (Head of Investigations, Mersey MIAA) presented case studies illustrating investigative practice alongside ongoing challenges. These included reliance on standard police reporting routes, as well as inconsistencies in local support where LCFS funding or capacity is reduced during investigations.
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- Professionalisation and future direction: Andy Gowens (Centre of Specialist Learning Lead, NHSCFA) outlined efforts to professionalise the LCFS role through standards, career pathways, and skills development. Participants raised concerns about the cost of training, prompting reflection on the potential implications for uneven access to professional development across Trusts.
Mark Cheeseman (Chief Executive, Public Sector Fraud Authority) spoke about the current public sector fraud landscape and the future direction of reform and response.
Closing reflections from Alex Rothwell (Chief Executive Officer, NHSCFA) emphasised prevention, collaboration, increased use of technology, and the importance of building organisational capability as key future priorities and the importance of strengthening organisational capability as key priorities for the future of counter-fraud work.
For the SCAN team, the conference provided valuable opportunities to interact with LCFSs and understand the reality of local counter fraud work, as well as to raise awareness of the project within the LCFS community.
The conference further provided the SCAN team valuable opportunities to engage with LCFSs, deepen understanding of the realities of local counter -fraud work, and raise awareness of the project within the LCFS community.
Please note: This project is funded by the NIHR Health and Social Care Delivery Research programme (NIHR159714). The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.