Prescription Fraud (Hansard, 29 July 1997)

§ The Minister of State, Department of Health (Baroness Jay of Paddington)
My Lords, as I am sure the noble Lord is aware, the report of the efficiency scrutiny on prescription fraud was published on 19th June. The Government have announced immediate decisions to implement some of the important recommendations, including, for example, security measures in the printing of prescription forms which will come into force next April. We are committed to a comprehensive programme to reduce fraud. At the moment work is going on to establish priorities for implementing some of the other recommendations in the report and we expect to make decisions about those later in the summer.

§ Lord Calverley
My Lords, I thank the Minister for a very reassuring answer. Unfortunately, some of the thunder has been stolen from my Question, as has just been explained. However, is the Minister aware of an exposé on the BBC "Panorama" programme some weeks ago which highlighted a very serious problem? A small minority of GPs were misusing an archaic paper-sift system by ghosting patients and over-prescribing. In some cases, they were even prescribing to deceased patients. Does she agree that the introduction of a computerised costing system within the NHS would reap great benefit for a cash-strapped service?

§ Baroness Jay of Paddington
My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord. I saw the "Panorama" programme to 90 which he refers. It displayed an extraordinarily complex web of fraud within the prescription service, not simply among GPs but sometimes involving patients who nominated themselves for exemption without being entitled to it. I understand exactly what he says about improving the IT systems and indeed the computer systems within that service. It is something which the Government are examining. IT systems are expensive, but, then, so is fraud.

§ Lord Dean of Beswick
My Lords, can the noble Baroness give any figures or a guesstimate of what the powers-that-be consider to be the total amount of money fiddled? Can she confirm that a considerable sum is involved, especially if added to the money being fiddled on housing, as noted in the latest report of the National Audit Office and the Audit Commission? Does she agree that it is no wonder that some vital services in the country, such as the health service, are badly short of funding when money is stolen at such a rate?

§ Baroness Jay of Paddington
My Lords, undoubtedly it is a serious problem. The estimate of theft and forgery with prescription forms, which was the subject of the original Question, is that approximately £15 million annually is lost. On patient charge evasion, the sum is in the region of £70 million to £100 million. Clearly, it is money worth saving.

The Earl of Carlisle
My Lords, can the noble Baroness inform the House how many patients have been prosecuted over the past 12 months and how many medical practitioners have appeared before the General Medical Council?

§ Baroness Jay of Paddington
My Lords, I am afraid that I cannot give an answer to the second question about the General Medical Council. I shall write to the noble Lord. I imagine that he refers specifically to the problem of prescription fraud. It is extremely difficult to identify patients who are defrauding the system. People simply present forms and, when asked if they are exempt, claim that they are when they are not. One proposal of the report, which was the subject of the initial Question, accepted by the Government, is that evading charges should become a criminal offence and be subject to the kind of standard fine which is, for example, appropriate for a motoring offence.

§ Baroness Cumberlege
My Lords, is the Minister aware that there is a view around that a vendetta is being exercised by the Government against old age pensioners, both current and future? Will she put matters right by giving an undertaking that no charges will be introduced for prescriptions for old age pensioners during the life of this Government?

§ Baroness Jay of Paddington
My Lords, as I am sure the noble Baroness is aware, the comprehensive spending review, which is looking at all subjects of expenditure and cost-raising under the NHS, is being undertaken by the Department of Health. There is a firm 91 commitment by this Government to stand by their manifesto commitment that the NHS should be available free at point of need to those who need it.

§ Baroness Wilcox
My Lords, I am not quite clear about the reply to the question put by the noble Baroness, Lady Cumberlege. Am I to understand that the Minister said that this Government are not ruling out the possibility that they will introduce prescription charges for old age pensioners?

§ Baroness Jay of Paddington
My Lords, that question is rather wide of the Question on the Order Paper. I gave the general response to the question of the noble Baroness, Lady Cumberlege.