Improving NHS finance controls: How to prevent duplicate payments and strengthen resilience
As NHS finance teams continue to manage rising volumes of supplier payments, maintaining effective control processes is becoming more challenging and more important. With pressure to reduce avoidable losses and deliver better value for money, many Trusts are asking not just how to recover past errors, but how to prevent them in the first place.
The National Audit Office’s July 2025 report highlights that fraud and errors continue to cost the public sector between £55 billion and £81 billion in 2023-2024. It also warns that the full potential of data analytics in tackling these issues is still far from realised.
While many organisations use tools like the National Fraud Initiative (NFI), the report calls for more proactive use of analytics, better resource planning, and continuous review of controls.
Why stronger financial controls matter
Finance teams in the NHS often face operational barriers to prevention: ageing systems, capacity constraints, and fragmented data. Even where analytics are in place, the NAO notes that public bodies often lack the internal capacity to fully act on what is identified, thereby reducing the impact of their efforts.
There is an urgent need to do more than recover duplicate payments and correct errors. Preventing them in the first place requires a strategic approach to risk and control. That includes reviewing supplier data, streamlining approval processes, and rethinking how fraud and error tools are managed.
What prevention looks like in practice
Strengthening financial resilience doesn’t mean starting from scratch. Existing processes can be enhanced with targeted improvements. These might include:
- Reviewing and consolidating supplier master data to reduce duplication
- Increasing the frequency and quality of supplier statement reconciliations
- Using AI to detect unusual payment patterns
- Routinely reviewing fraud detection rules to improve accuracy over time
Recommendation 9 of the NAO report “encourages departments to keep their fraud and error data analytics under review and optimise them accordingly to ensure that they are bringing the maximum fraud and error savings”. A practice that many Trusts need to implement fully.
Liberata’s approach supports this by combining advanced analytics with operational expertise. Our Duplicate Payments Recovery Service identifies payment risks and provides NHS finance teams with clear, actionable insights to reduce future errors without placing additional demands on internal resources.
Building resilience, not just recovering funds
In our work with the Northern Care Alliance NHS Trust the outcome wasn’t just £870,000 recovered, it was a deeper understanding of where process improvements could make the greatest difference. That’s how prevention becomes part of the long-term strategy.
To find out how NHS Trusts can address existing errors, read our blog on recovering hidden duplicate payments.
Looking to improve your controls and reduce payment risks?
Explore Liberata’s Duplicate Payments Recovery Service to see how we can help you strengthen your finance team and processes. Public Sector organisations can access our services through the CCS Debt Resolution Services Framework (RM6226) or on G-Cloud 14.
