CHFT will shortly take part in the National Fraud Initiative (NFI) Exercise 2026/27. The NFI is a national data matching exercise that helps public bodies prevent and detect fraud and incorrect payments, protecting public money and NHS resources. The exercise is coordinated by the Cabinet Office and takes place every two years.

As part of the exercise, payroll and invoice data will be securely extracted at the end of September 2026 and uploaded to the NFI system. This information is compared with data held by other participating organisations to identify potential inconsistencies. A data match does not automatically indicate fraud or error; it simply identifies something that may require further review.

What you need to do

• No action is required for most of our colleagues, provided your ESR record is accurate and up to date.
• If you have information recorded in payroll, creditor or Companies House records, please check that those details are accurate and up to date.
• If you own a business, or someone living at your address owns a business, please ensure that any required declaration of interest has been completed and submitted.
• Information on how to complete and submit a declaration of interest can be found on the Trust intranet.
• Please read the National Fraud Initiative Privacy Notice, available on the intranet, for details of the information used, the purpose of processing, and your data protection rights.

For further information, please contact Local Counter Fraud Specialist, Nikki Cooper, at nikki.cooper1@nhs.net or on 07872 988939.

Participation in the data matching exercise assists in the prevention and detection of fraud and involves the provision of particular sets of data to the Cabinet Office for matching for each exercise, and these are set out in the Cabinet Office’s guidance.