Healthcare is always at the forefront of society’s big issues; when the healthcare system faces challenges, this pervades all aspects of the community. We have a unique understanding of the breadth of these challenges and collaborate with NHS acute trusts across the country providing holistic advice. We work as extensions of the in-house teams we support, and our specialist lawyers take great pride in contributing towards the effective running of NHS acute trusts, bringing a down-to-earth approach that finds pragmatic and effective solutions.
We have wide-ranging expertise that enables us to provide top to bottom support from structural NHS governance to commercial activity, the workforce, the patients, the buildings they all step in to and new technologies to enhance service.
In particular, we provide support to NHS acute trust boards regarding policy decisions and contractual matters, assist safeguarding, risk and legal teams with inquests, clinical negligence, Court of Protection proceedings, mental health and mental capacity issues, guide HR departments in respect of employment issues and work with trusts to expand their property portfolios.
NHS acute trusts across the country receive bespoke support directed to their particular societal and economic situation but we also seek to bring the NHS community together ensuring collaboration and the sharing of insights between acute, mental health and community trusts as well as the wider healthcare system.
"Every member of team goes above and beyond to support us. Technically brilliant with a down to earth and easily understandable approach. Translates the legal speak into everyday language."
"I feel as though the team I work with are more like an extension of my own team, and whilst maintaining those professional boundaries, are still very approachable."
"The team are very approachable, and always give appropriate and relevant advice. There is a broad breadth of knowledge across the firm and open access to subject matter experts in specific areas. In particular the court of protection and healthcare team have a wealth of knowledge."
The BMA is advising all NHS / HSCNI consultants to ensure extra-contractual work is paid at the BMA minimum recommended rate and to decline offers of extra-contractual work that doesn't value them appropriately.
NHS England has published (October 2022) new guidance - Assuring and supporting complex change: Statutory transactions, including mergers and acquisitions.
NHS England has issued an updated (publication 11 October 2022) suite of Complex Change guidance about how it will assure and support proposals for complex change that are reportable to it. New and (where it is still in force) existing Complex Change guidance are as follows.
In our latest Shared Insights session, Focus on Emergency Medicine, chaired by Jennifer Fagin and Amelia Newbold, we were pleased to be joined by: Dr Alex Crowe, Deputy Director Incentive Schemes & Academic Partnerships, NHS Resolution and Consultant Nephrologist and Miss Susie Hewitt MBE, Consultant in Emergency Medicine, University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust.
On 7 July this year, NHS England published its statutory guidance for Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) and with it set out the ICBs’ role and responsibilities and how they should collaborate, interact and carry out their anti-fraud, bribery and corruption functions in concert with NHS England.
Presented by Gerard Hanratty, this on-demand webinar looks into the key new functions for Integrated Care Systems under the new Health & Care Act 2022. It provides a useful update on what is new, how it may be interpreted and what issues may arise.
Welcome to our latest health newsletter for Summer 2022. We have a packed edition which includes fascinating insights from clients and our own lawyers into the potential impact of the Health and Care Act 2022 and associated DHSC integration policy.
HSIB published its report on Maternal deaths during the first wave of COVID-19. The report takes a closer look at the impact that COVID-19 had during the initial period of March to May 2020.
As times have changed, organisations have fallen in and out of love with the role of the outsourced SIAM provider versus the organisation fulfilling that role. It is a complex role and even more so in Government organisations, some with vast IT systems processing gigantic amounts of data with complex governance structures and models.
The Health and Care Act 2022 (HCA) received royal assent on 28 April 2022. Out goes much of the framework for a managed competitive market economy. In come new statutory bodies - a revamped NHS England and all-new NHS Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) to take over commissioning (from 1 July 2022) from CCGs and also (progressively) NHS England too.
According to a report published by the Financial Reporting Council in April, modern slavery generates an estimated US$150 billion annually and encompasses 40 million people in slavery globally.
The Royal College of Psychiatrists has produced updated guidance to help frontline staff and clinicians identify and treat patients with eating disorders before the illness becomes a medical emergency.
Every year a high number of patients attend Emergency Departments (EDs) in England, often presenting with complex and wide-ranging symptoms. Many of these challenges were explored in the Getting It Right First Time Emergency Medicine Report, published in 2021.
We were very pleased to recently advise North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust (‘NWAFT’) in High Court, Inherent Jurisdiction proceedings regarding an application for a declaration by the court that a patient of NWAFT had sadly died and therefore it was proper for life supporting measures to be ceased.
The much anticipated final Ockenden report was published on 30 March 2020. The final report sets out the findings of the review into care provided to 1,486 families, and sets out a blueprint for safe maternity care.
Welcome to our first health newsletter of 2022.
The start of the public inquiry into Covid-19 in the UK has moved one step closer with the appointment on December 17 2021 of Baroness Heather Hallett to chair the inquiry. The inquiry was announced in May last year and is due to start in the spring of 2022.
Based on our work with foundation trusts over the last 12 months we have identified 5 key situations in which a foundation trust may need to refresh its constitution
We invite you to an on-demand webinar looking at the key legal and practical implications for healthcare employers arising from the NHS England VCOD Guidance and actions required in Phase 2 implementation stage.
It is important to bear in mind the legal framework when planning discharge and conveyance plans but practicalities are also key.
There is much still to learn about how the strategy will be implemented and those details will play a huge part in determining the final outcome. However, there are grounds for optimism.
An on-demand webinar for HR practitioners, looking at the legal and practical implications for NHS employers of the Government’s decision to mandate COVID-19 vaccination for frontline healthcare workers.
Welcome to our Health Newsletter focussing on Sustainability and timed to hit your inbox as we start to consider the outcomes from COP26.
The panel of experienced Coroners gave an outline of the current backlog and the pandemic recovery plan implemented in their jurisdiction.
The Liberty Protection Safeguards are due to be implemented in April 2022. Before this time there will need to be whole system change, training and implementation.
Our speakers looked at themes arising from inquests, learning from participating in RCAs, the clinician’s perspective and a difficult case study.
Rebecca Fitzpatrick, Helen Badger and Carl May-Smith, Partners at Browne Jacobson provided an overview of the legal frameworks in place that can assist Trusts when managing violent, abusive and racist patients
In this Shared Insights session, we discuss difficulties faced by professionals when dealing with challenging family members and highlighted the legal frameworks and mechanisms that can be implemented to manage these behaviours in order to protect staff and keep the patient’s best interests at the centre of decision making.
With effect from Thursday 9 September 2021 the amendments contained within the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2021 (SI 2021/161) (‘the Regulations’) come into effect which introduces regulation 27A.
In this Shared Insights session we provided an overview of the implementation of the Ockenden Immediate and Essential actions.
This session discussed the future of interaction between NHS Trusts and local government amidst a drive for better integrated care.
