Experienced NHS and Public Health Lawyers

Our team of 250 expert healthcare lawyers advise overarching bodies within the NHS as well as integrated care boards and trusts across England and Wales.

Our expertise

Our insights

Meet the team

Expert legal advice to the UK’s public health providers, commissioners and bodies

Our specialist team of over 250 healthcare lawyers is proud to advise the NHS at all touchpoints across the organisation – from overarching bodies such NHS England and NHS Resolution to integrated care boards and trusts across the country – helping the NHS to navigate challenges and change while continually working build resilience and effectiveness as the nation’s guardian of public health. We advise on the full spectrum of healthcare law with particular areas of specialism in inquests, mental capacity, commercial law, regulatory law, real estate, employment law, clinical negligence claims, and public law, our team cover the full spectrum of healthcare law.

We are appointed to all the national NHS framework agreements, NHS SBS, NOE CPC, HealthTrust Europe, NHS Resolution, NHS Commercial Alliance and CCS.

How we can advise you

We offer a full legal service to the NHS, supporting it in the delivery of its core strategic requirements and in carrying out its role in the proactive assessment of opportunities to give the best outcomes for patients. Our legal services include:

Clinical negligence and claims – we have unrivalled expertise in defending public and private sector clinical negligence claims nationally, having been appointed to NHS Resolution’s panel for clinical litigation since 1995.
Commercial law – our NHS commercial lawyers are focused on achieving the right outcome as quickly as possible, whether advising on contracts or helping structure and implement large strategic integration projects. We help NHS clients, including national bodies and regulators, commissioners and trusts, to manage risk and obtain value for money, enabling them to improve services and outcomes. This type of work, which is often complex and involving large sums of money, may typically involve new commercial and contractual models, integration with different types of organisations and interpretation of new laws and regulations.
Employment law – as a longstanding provider of employment law services to the health sector, we currently work with more than 100 healthcare bodies and providers across the UK. We provide advice that’s pragmatic, timely and client-focused, based on our deep understanding of the challenges facing organisations today.
Inquests – our inquest specialists are an integral part of our service to healthcare bodies, providing expert advice on all matters relating to the coroners’ jurisdiction, particularly in high profile cases that require the utmost care in handling together with robust legal advice.
Healthcare advisory law – our dedicated, UK-wide healthcare team can advise and support you in everything from the Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards to complex commissioning issues, medical treatment cases and representing clients at mental health tribunals. We are also well-placed to advise on how legislative changes, such as proposed Liberty Protection Safeguards, will impact your organisation and what you can do to prepare.
Inquiries and investigations – whether participating in an inquiry or running an investigation, our team can support by advising on retention and the disclosure of documents, liaising with core participants, supporting witnesses to give evidence, chairing an investigation, advice on duty of candour, liaising with regulators and support with setting terms of reference.
Real estate – our specialist health property team delivers solution-focused and effective advice to a wide range of NHS clients, focusing on day-to-day estates work and transformational health infrastructure projects that bring together the construction, planning, procurement and other connected disciplines to give you a seamless service.
Regulatory law – as one of the most regulated sectors in the UK and internationally, all organisations operating within the health sector need a strategic approach to achieving and demonstrating regulatory compliance. These organisations also need to be able to respond swiftly and decisively to incidents, investigations and enforcement action or prosecution when things go wrong. We are here to support through advising on the delivery of healthcare services, health and safety at work, and defence of corporate and individual prosecutions.

How our team will work with you
We are committed to providing you with the highest quality service and take the time to ensure we have a real understanding of your priorities and requirements. Technical expertise is a given – the key to our success is in continually adding value to your business because of our in-depth sector knowledge across the country. We do this through:
Working in partnership with you – you will have a dedicated relationship lead and teams who will ensure regular contact and communication
Providing solutions not posing problems – we will provide you with pragmatic advice and an innovative, commercial approach
Access to senior lawyers – you will always have direct access to partners and senior lawyers
Proactivity – we want this to be an active partnership in which we take the initiative to become your trusted adviser and partner
Resource – we have a large team so are able to provide sufficient assistance at all times
International capability - we provide advice in both the UK and internationally (which may be relevant, for example, if you partner with international organisations for particular projects)
Our experience
Advising Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust on acquiring the formerly privately-run Rutherford Cancer Centre in Liverpool, providing the trust with additional state-of-the-art capacity and the local population with earlier access to vital diagnostic services
Representing NHS Resolution, University Hospital of North Staffordshire NHS Trust and Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust in the landmark Court of Appeal case of Reaney concerning the effect of subsequent negligence on awards of compensation
Representing four healthcare providers at an Article 2 Jury Inquest, against counsel, following a death in custody
Acting on the real estate elements of New Hospital Programme and Community Diagnostic Centre developments, including advising on the legal aspects of development deliverability
The Royal Liverpool Children’s Inquiry - members of our team acted at the inquiry into the removal, retention and disposal of organs and tissue following post-mortems, and were also instructed on the Royal Liverpool Children’s Litigation group action which followed
Representing a trust in judicial review proceedings challenging the adequacy of public and patient involvement in an urgent service change
Acting for Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust at the Hillsborough Inquests
Healthcare adviser to the NHS

The NHS is a fundamental part of the UK’s identity and a point of national pride – a healthcare system that is free at the point of use based on a model that provides inspiration and structure for many other healthcare systems around the world.
Pressure on public healthcare provision continues to dominate the national dialogue, not least around financing and workforce. Against this backdrop, NHS organisations are pressed to improve service quality, deliver on targets to remove health inequalities, reduce the ongoing elective backlog, plan and undertake complex digital transformation programmes and deliver improved facilities from which to offer their services.
As specialist healthcare legal advisers, we are proud to play a part in supporting the NHS in delivering on these targets.
Resources

Our team regularly produce insightful commentary on the latest legal issues that affect healthcare providers, commissioners, and suppliers, including videos, webinars and downloadable guides. Access them here.