HCR Law resolves complex regulatory challenges for care provider

HCR Law’s Healthcare Regulatory team recently supported a care provider through two complex regulatory issues, helping to protect its business and reputation.

By acting quickly and strategically, we helped the provider secure a CQC re-inspection and remove a damaging ‘place with caution’ notice, without lengthy litigation.

Challenging a CQC inspection report

In November 2024, the provider asked us to prepare factual accuracy comments following a Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection. By December, we submitted a robust factual accuracy comments challenge.

After months of review, CQC published its final inspection report on 27 August 2025. The care provider wanted to challenge this further, so we drafted a rating review on 16 September 2025.

When CQC refused to amend the report, we prepared a judicial review pre-action protocol letter on 10 October 2025, arguing the report was unlawful. Both parties then engaged in alternative dispute resolution (ADR), resulting in CQC agreeing to re-inspect the provider by January 2026. The provider withdrew its judicial review claim, having secured its objective without issuing proceedings.

Removing a ‘place with caution’ notice

In April 2025, while the CQC matter was ongoing, the same provider instructed HCR to help with a separate challenge: a local authority put a ‘place with caution notice’ on its service. This restricted admissions and influenced neighbouring commissioners, creating serious commercial risk.

Our Healthcare Regulatory team reviewed the allegations, assessed their merits and defended the provider against the commissioner. We also drafted a complaint against a local authority officer and pursued judicial review proceedings against the ongoing decision.

Following a strong pre-action protocol letter and ADR, the local authority agreed to withdraw the notice and confirmed this to other commissioners on 2 October 2025.