Dentist who defrauded the NHS
£7bn a year is going missing from health budgets through fraud and financial error, according to the former head of the NHS's Counter Fraud Services.
£5bn of that is lost to fraud - enough to pay for nearly a quarter of a million new nurses.
The Department of Health said it did not recognise the figure and did not "speculate on levels of losses."
NHS counter fraud specialists investigate cases ranging from hundreds to millions of pounds.
Fraud cases they investigated involve NHS employees selling stolen products on eBay and dentists charging the NHS for gold crowns while fitting patients with cheap ones.
Former dentist Joyce Trail is the most prolific single fraudster in NHS history.
You can watch Panorama: The Great NHS Robbery on Monday 24 March on BBC One at 20:30 BST
24 Mar 2014
- From the section Health