NHS fraud could pay for 250,000 nurses

The NHS is losing five billion pounds a year due to fraud, while a further two billion pounds is lost because of errors.

This is according to its former head of the institution's anti-fraud section Jim Gee, who has co-authored a new Portsmouth University study that has been seen by the BBC.

He explained the amount lost to fraud alone could be enough to create 250,000 new nursing jobs and the figures are around 20 times higher than those recorded in the government's annual fraud indicator report.

Mr Gee stated: "We need to not be embarrassed, or in denial, about the possibility of fraud taking place in the NHS

"We need to get on with tackling the problem, minimising its cost, maximising resources available for proper patient care."

The Department of Health responded by saying it did not recognise the figures quoted by Mr Gee in the report, which is due to be published tomorrow (March 25th).