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Expert public law services for NHS and public health

We work to fully understand your objectives in order to offer the best solutions

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Specialist guidance and support in all areas

As an organisation within the NHS and Public Health sector, you need to feel confident that you have the best legal team by your side. 

Our health lawyers act for bodies across the health and social care sector, advising on collaborative arrangements, defending judicial reviews or challenging complex service reconfigurations. 

We will work closely with you across the full range of obligations so you have everything you need to deal with public law. Our experienced and recognised teams can advise both local and national NHS bodies on all aspects. Get in touch today to find out more.

How we can advise you

We recognise public law as a key area of both opportunity and challenge for NHS bodies as you seek to innovate, while at the same time working with increasingly scarce resources and a complex statutory framework. 

We offer guidance and support on all areas of public law, including:

  • Making legally sound decisions
  • Defending judicial reviews when decisions are challenged
  • Models for collaborative commissioning, delegation of functions and devolution
  • Interpreting the statutory powers and functions of NHS bodies
  • The Human Rights Act 1998
  • Public and patient involvement duties
  • Policies and procedures for handling individual funding requests
  • Public rights under the NHS constitution, including patient choice
  • The public sector equality duty
  • Overseas visitors
  • How our team will work with you

    We offer practical, timely and cost-effective advice. We focus on fully understanding your objectives and offering solutions, rather than simply identifying risks.

    Prevention is better than cure, so we encourage you to engage with us at an early stage in your plans, allowing us to proactively identify opportunities and challenges to be addressed. This increases the chances of securing your objectives and helps to reduce overall legal spend. 

    When disputes arise, we have an established track record of entering into dialogue and achieving early resolution when this is in your interest.

    We can support your organisation whatever its location, with team members based in London, Liverpool, Leeds and Manchester.

  • Our clients

    We act for bodies across the health and social care sector, including:

    • NHS England
    • Health Education England
    • Care Quality Commission
    • NHS trusts and foundation trusts
    • Clinical commissioning groups
    • Independent health and social care providers
    • Local authorities
  • Our experience

    • Representing an interested party in judicial review proceedings concerning the scope of patient choice in mental health services.
    • Advising on the ability of an accountable care organisation to undertake commissioning functions on behalf of a ICBs.
    • Advising a group of five ICBs on a common set of policies and procedures for handling individual funding requests. 
    • Representing a trust in judicial review proceedings challenging the adequacy of public and patient involvement in an urgent service change. 
    • Advising on the statutory obligations of commissioners and providers in meeting the healthcare needs of immigration detainees.
    • Advising on the legal bases for joint appointments between NHS England, ICBs and local authorities.
    • Supporting the development of national guidance on public and patient involvement in sustainability and transformation partnerships.
    • Advising on the entitlement of a child who had received partial treatment in another EU member state, which had led to a temporarily heightened level of disability, to have that treatment completed within the NHS.

Key contacts