Gordons
Tel: 01483 451900
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.gordonsols.co.uk
Sectors
- Care homes.
- Domiciliary care.
- Supported living and extra care.
- Learning disability services.
- Independent hospitals.
Services
- Regulatory action.
- Responding to civil and criminal enforcement action, and draft inspection reports.
- Safeguarding enquiries.
- Contract disputes (including fees and embargoes).
- Police investigations and prosecutions.
- Mental health, mental capacity and DoLS.
- Health and safety.
- Inquests.
- Employment law.
- Corporate finance and banking.
- Sales and acquisitions.
- Property-related matters.
- Commercial law advice.
- Commercial litigation.
Lead individuals
Neil Grant heads our Health and Social Care Provider Team based in Guildford. Neil is an expert in the regulation and funding of health and social care services. He has a wealth of experience, having acted for inspectorates and other public bodies at a senior level. Nowadays, Neil only acts for providers, not regulators or commissioners, thus avoiding conflicts of interest. His motivation in working at Gordons Partnership is to offer the sector a full-service legal offering at competitive rates.
Susan Hunneyball works alongside Neil and has significant experience in advising clients in the health and social care sector. She has assisted providers with appeals against CQC decisions and, relevantly during the pandemic, on issues arising from compliance with infection control. She has helped providers obtain good outcomes following CQC urgent action. In addition, a large part of the work she does is advising clients who are involved in inquests or have Fitness to Practise issues, particularly in the pharmacy sector where Susan has a national reputation.
Timely and informed legal advice is essential to the successful running of any operation but particularly in the care sector. Our approach is strategic and commercial, working in partnership with the client. We aim to resolve and improve matters through dialogue in the interests of service users, the provider and other stakeholders. However, we are assertive in defending our clients’ rights.
Company information
Gordons Partnership is a respected law firm and is a recognised leader in the healthcare field. It was formed in 1994 by three lawyers from leading practices who were fed up with the ‘factory’ approach to law. Their philosophy was to provide high-quality, practical and affordable advice, in a professional and friendly environment. Throughout Gordons’ growth, we have not lost sight of that philosophy.
Neil Grant
Tel: 07968 861242
Email: [email protected]
Susan Hunneyball
Tel: 01483 451900
Email: [email protected]
Hempsons
Tel: 01423 724056
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.hempsons.co.uk
Sectors
- Care homes/nursing homes.
- Domiciliary care/care agencies.
- Supported living and extra care.
- Learning disability services.
- Independent hospitals.
- Charities and third sector.
Services
- Charity law.
- Commercial property.
- Community care law.
- Contracts.
- Corporate law.
- CQC regulatory.
- Data protection and security.
- Disputes and litigation.
- Employment law.
- Fundraising.
- Health and safety.
- Inquests and coroners.
- Judicial review.
- Mental health law.
- Safeguarding.
- Tendering.
Lead individuals
Philippa Doyle leads the Hempsons social care team and specialises in CQC work and has significant experience of working both for and against, which gives her a unique insight and the ability to offer pragmatic advice. She has over 20 years’ experience in the health and social care sector and with a varied workload including information governance, safeguarding, Court of Protection and consent. She provides extensive registered manager training to aide compliance with the Fundamental Standards. Philippa is the first point of contact on Hempsons’ social care advice line and works regularly with colleagues in employment, commercial and dispute resolution, to meet the needs of providers.
Martin Cheyne acts for health and social care organisations in the full range of claims before employment tribunals. He frequently defends factually complex and also legally novel claims, particularly in relation to disability, sex and sexual orientation discrimination and whistle-blowing allegations. His advice practice includes executive and senior manager terminations, discrimination issues, TUPE (Transfer of undertakings, protection of employment), reorganisations, complex disciplinary matters and concerns with doctors (MHPS). Martin also provides bespoke training on employment topics ranging from TUPE and related procurement preparation, equal opportunities to disciplinary investigations and appeals.
Company information
Leading health, social care and charity lawyers, Hempsons supports providers in delivering quality services. The team won the Care Sector Supplier Awards: Legal and professional category in 2021 and 2022 and are a finalist again this year. Hempsons’ social care advice line offers providers 20 minutes of free legal advice. Simply call 01423 724056.
‘We have found that all our contacts at Hempsons have been knowledgeable, both about our sector and the legislative process. We have also valued the fact that Hempsons have been flexible, accessible and responsive.’ – The Wilf Ward Family Trust
Philippa Doyle, Partner
Tel: 01423 724028
Email: [email protected]
Martin Cheyne, Partner
Tel: 01423 724121
Email: [email protected]
Scott Moncrieff & Associates Ltd
Tel: 020 3972 9011
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.scomo.com
Sectors
- Care homes, homecare.
- GPs and dental practices.
- Independent hospitals, clinics.
- Supported living and extra care.
- Learning disability.
- Mental health.
- Cosmetics and ‘aesthetics’ services.
Services
- CQC Appeals to the First-Tier Tribunal.
- CQC registration advice.
- CQC notices to refuse, cancel or vary registration, warning notices and fixed penalty notices.
- Buying and selling.
- Commercial law advice.
- Commercial litigation.
- Commissioner fee and contract disputes.
- Contract drafting.
- Employment.
- GP disputes with CCGs.
- GP referrals to NHS Resolution.
- Health and safety.
- Inquests and judicial review.
- MCA, safeguarding.
- Police investigations.
- Property development and construction.
Lead individuals
Errol Archer leads on regulatory work for health and social care providers. His experienced team works with small and large providers, delivering commercially focused solutions. He brings valuable regulatory and policy insights from many years of advising business owners, regulatory bodies, central Government departments and Government ministers.
As a specialist Solicitor-Advocate, he has represented clients at hundreds of court and tribunal hearings, including the First-Tier Tribunal (Care Standards), the Coroners’ Court and the High Court. We have successfully handled numerous Judicial Review challenges for providers. Tom Woodward is a specialist Employment Lawyer and provides expert advice to employers via a fast-response, cost-effective service on an ‘as required’ basis.
Robert Cottingham handles any commercial property matters for clients.
Company information
Scott-Moncrieff is a leading firm, established over 30 years ago and known for its commitment to delivering high-quality legal services at an affordable cost.
The firm provides a national service through recognised leaders in their fields, across all legal areas. It has a national reputation and particular expertise in the health and social care sectors. Its co-founder, Lucy Scott-Moncrieff CBE, describes the firm as user-friendly and approachable and emphasises that every client gets a personal service. The firm is known for standing up for clients when the going gets tough.
Errol Archer
Tel: 07729 421836
Email: [email protected]
Tom Woodward
Tel: 07917 835134
Email: [email protected]
Stephensons Solicitors LLP
Tel: 0333 344 4882
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.stephensons.co.uk
Sectors
- Residential care homes/ nursing homes.
- Homecare agencies.
- Supported living services.
- Learning disability services.
- Independent hospitals.
- GP practices.
- Substance misuse services.
Services
- Challenging draft inspection reports and ratings.
- Appeals to the first-tier tribunal (Care Standards Chamber).
- Challenging notices to cancel, suspend, impose/vary conditions of registration.
- Criminal investigations and prosecutions.
- CQC registration advice and challenging refusals of registration.
- Challenging Warning Notices.
- Complaints.
- Inquests.
- Safeguarding investigations.
- Fitness to practice investigations.
- Health and safety prosecutions.
Lead individuals
Laura Hannah leads the health and social care regulation team, which specialises in CQC regulation. Laura has extensive experience of successfully defending health and social care providers, helping them to retain their CQC registration following a proposed cancellation; successfully challenge an inspection report; avoid a criminal prosecution; and improve the overall ratings of a service. Laura is assisted by a team of experienced lawyers, including Chloe Parish, who also leads the early years, education and children’s social care team which specialises in Ofsted regulation.
Company information
Stephensons is an award-winning, highly respected, nationally recognised law firm providing individuals, businesses and Government organisations with a wide range of first-class legal services. It has an excellent reputation of defending professionals and businesses within the health and social care sectors and Stephensons prides itself on achieving the best possible results for its clients.
Its team of specialist regulatory lawyers understands the intense pressure on providers to comply with the increasingly complex regulations governing regulated services. Stephensons also understands how a negative inspection report and/or enforcement action can significantly impact on a business and in many cases, unfairly so. The team recognises that this can often be a stressful and frustrating time and its experience enables the team to provide clear and strategic advice in a timely and cost-effective way.
Stephensons won the Legal Services Award at the Social Care Premier Supplier Awards in 2022.
Laura Hannah, Partner
Tel: 01942 774065
Email: [email protected]
Chloe Parish, Senior Associate
Tel: 01942 774037
Email: [email protected]
Weightmans LLP
Tel: 0345 073 9900
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.weightmans.com
Sectors
- Care homes and care homes with nursing.
- Domiciliary/homecare providers.
- Supported/assisted living.
- Extra care and retirement living.
- Independent hospitals and clinics.
- Mental health and learning disability services.
- Children’s homes and foster care/agencies.
Services
- Health and care regulatory.
- Challenging inspection reports.
- Corporate, regulatory and police investigations and prosecutions.
- Inquests and inquiries.
- Safeguarding and Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) investigations.
- Mental capacity and Liberty Protection Safeguards.
- Employment, pensions and business immigration.
- Mergers and acquisitions and joint ventures.
- Real estate and construction.
- Commercial contracts and procurement.
- Contractual and fee disputes.
- Finance.
- Corporate restructuring and insolvency.
- Complaints, claims and litigation.
Lead individuals
Weightmans national multi-disciplinary Health and Care team comprises more than 150 specialist lawyers, acting for private, charitable and public sector health and care providers. The team is led by Andrew Parsons and Mike Clifford.
Andrew specialises in health and care regulatory law, providing advice on care home, mental health and public law. He is a leading practitioner in his field and is also the Honorary Legal Advisor to Care England. Mike specialises in corporate law and acts for providers, owners of, investors in and funders of health and care businesses.
Company information
Weightmans is a leading commercial law firm with offices in England, Scotland and Wales. It is recognised by the legal directories for its work in the health and care sector. Weightmans acts for many of the largest care home groups as well as a multitude of smaller and specialist providers.
Weightmans provides its clients with a comprehensive ‘one-stop shop’ of legal services. Its approach is based on offering the very best and well-informed advice combined with a responsive and cost-effective service.
Weightmans understands that problems can arise at any time in a health and care setting, so it operates a 24-hour helpline to provide advice and support to its clients. Its services are complemented by seminars and briefings enabling clients to keep up to date with the latest developments.
Andrew Parsons, Partner
Tel: 07711 799471
Email: [email protected]
Mike Clifford, Partner
Tel: 07891 809930
Email: [email protected]
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