The Bribery Act 2010 came into force on 1 July 2011, with the purpose of preventing bribery and corruption in both the public and private sectors.
Bribery can be defined as the giving or receiving of an advantage (financial or otherwise) in exchange for improperly performing a relevant function or activity.
Any individual found guilty of bribery and corruption under the act can be sentenced up to 10 years imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine.
The Bribery Act also introduced a corporate offence of failing to prevent bribery if organisations, including those in the NHS, do not have adequate procedures in place designed to prevent associated persons from engaging in bribery. Any organisation prosecuted under the Bribery Act can be given an unlimited fine. Incalculable reputational damage would almost certainly occur.
Additionally, on 1 September 2025, a corporate offence of failure to prevent fraud was introduced under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 and this also applies to the trust. Similar to the Bribery Act, a defence exists if organisations in scope can show they had reasonable procedures in place to prevent fraud, committed by associated persons, for the organisation’s benefit.
The trust takes its legal responsibilities very seriously and is committed to applying the highest standards of ethical conduct, following good NHS business practices and having robust controls in place to prevent fraud and bribery.
It is essential that everyone working for, or on behalf of, the trust is aware of the standards of behaviour expected of them.
These standards are set out in the trust’s policies and procedures and reflect not only the law, but the expectations of behaviour enshrined in the trust’s vision and core values.
However, as an organisation, we cannot afford to be complacent and under no circumstances is the giving, offering, receiving or soliciting of a bribe acceptable and the trust will not tolerate this or any forms of fraud.
If you have any concerns or suspicions that fraud or bribery is being committed against the NHS, please contact the trust’s counter fraud provider, AuditOne, on 0191 441 5916 or counterfraud@auditone.co.uk.
On behalf of the trust, I confirm our commitment to ensuring that all staff are aware of their responsibilities in relation to the prevention of fraud and bribery within our organisation.
Trudie Davies
Interim Chief Executive
It is estimated that the NHS loses £1.31 billion per year, or roughly £3.6 million per day, to fraud. This is taxpayers' money that is taken away from patient care and falls into the hands of criminals. This is enough money to pay for over 40,000 staff nurses, or to purchase over 5,000 emergency ambulances. When we say 'fraud', we refer to a range of economic crimes, such as fraud, bribery and corruption or any other illegal acts committed by an individual or group of individuals to obtain a financial or professional gain.
How does the Trust fight fraud?
AuditOne, the trust’s counter fraud provider works closely with the trust to combat fraud.
We have a team of experienced counter fraud specialists delivering a full range of counter fraud, bribery and corruption services including prevention, detection and investigation. Our professionally qualified counter fraud specialists work to identify potential fraud, bribery and corruption risks through policy and system reviews and suggest remedial action to reduce and mitigate these risks. We are experienced in carrying out timely criminal investigations, from referral to prosecution.
AuditOne is an NHS consortium providing counter fraud services to 23 NHS and independent health care provider organisations across the North of England. It is hosted by Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust and is a not-for-profit organisation.
How you can help us tackle fraud
If you suspect fraud is occurring, you can help by following these steps and reporting your suspicions confidentially to the fraud hotline:
- Make an immediate note of your concerns.
- Do not approach or accuse individuals yourself.
- Do not try to investigate the matter yourself.
- Contact a counter fraud specialist as soon as possible.
How to report fraud
Our counter fraud specialists deal with all reports of suspected fraud in the strictest confidence. When you make a report you’ll be kept up to date with the progress of the investigation.
- call the fraud hotline on 01914 415936
- email counterfraud@audit-one.co.uk
Alternatively, you can phone the national fraud and corruption reporting line on 08000 284060.
All calls are made in strictest confidence and you will not be asked to provide any personal details if you want to remain anonymous. You’ll be given a call reference number that you can quote if you phone again with additional information.