Healthcare Regulatory

Our specialist healthcare regulatory team consists of highly experienced lawyers who support clients across the health and social care industry. We advise care homes on maintaining compliance and operational standards with Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulations and assist healthcare professionals with fitness to practise matters.

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Our healthcare regulatory team

Key contacts

Photo of Laura Shelton

Laura Shelton

Partner

If you work in health and social care, you need legal advice which is a help – not a hinderance – to your day job. I understand the practical reality of running a business like yours, and I ensure my support is available at a time that works for you. My legal specialisms cover the full health and social care regulatory spectrum to ensure you receive the right advice no matter what you’re faced with.

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Paul photo

Paul Ridout

Partner

With over 50 years acting for health and social care businesses and individuals, I’m well-versed in the challenges faced by those in the sector and the best way to overcome them. I work with providers who are involved in high-pressure legal situations which pose a commercial or reputational risk to their business, advising on all aspects of health and social care regulation.

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Meet the team

Healthcare regulatory experts

Our team of specialist Healthcare regulatory lawyers have been advising clients across the healthcare sector for over 50 years.

The health and social care industry is heavily regulated from bodies such as the CQC and Ofsted. Our team provide leading legal, operational and strategic regulatory advice to providers across the healthcare sector to support with compliance and operating safely.

Where organisations and health and social care professionals require further advice of regulatory matters. HCR Law provides a full service offering, with specialist healthcare lawyers property, corporate and employment matters.

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Our clients

Working closely with a diverse range of clients who are subject to regulation, HCR Law provides strategic advice to adult and children’s social care providers, NHS Trusts, GP practices, and dental practices. Our extensive experience enables us to find solutions for even the most complex regulatory situations.

Managing immediate situations while considering long-term implications is a priority. By offering our views and advice grounded in experience and knowledge, we provide proactive and practical solutions.

Our focus is on building long lasting relationships. Rather than simply presenting what the options are and then walk away leaving you to weigh everything up. We will offer our views and advice based on our experience and knowledge to provide proactive, practical solutions.

 

Man and woman sat at table discussing paperwork, Harrison Clark Rickerbys

Wide-ranging and in-depth expertise

Our in-depth knowledge across the healthcare sector means we represent clients across a range of regulatory and investigatory areas, including;

  • Appeals to the First-Tier Tribunal
  • Challenging inspection reports and ratings
  • Challenging notices to suspend, cancel or vary registration
  • Challenging warning notices, fixed penalty notices and prosecutions
  • Commissioner fee, contract disputes and embargos
  • Fitness to Practise and NHS Investigations
  • Inquests
  • Police investigations
  • Registration advice and challenges to refuse
  • Regulatory due diligence
  • Safeguarding investigations
  • University/Student Fitness to Practise.
Download our steering through change whitepaper

Adult social care: Steering through change

Adult social care: Steering through change is a forward-looking whitepaper created by the National Care Association (NCA) with support from HCR Law.

Download the report for a comprehensive overview of the challenges and opportunities shaping the adult social care sector. 

Download the whitepaper

CQC enforcement action – the importance of responding

The Care Quality Commission (“CQC”) has both civil and criminal powers to ensure providers improve the service they provide to users. While this action can be low-level, they can also be more significant – such as the suspension or cancellation of registration.

In our latest video, Healthcare Regulatory Legal Director Caroline Barker talks to Partner Laura Shelton about the importance of responding to CQC enforcement action. She explains the types of action she’s seeing more of in her work, along with the timeframes and processes involved in challenging such action.

Healthcare regulatory partnerships

Herefordshire Care Providers Association

Herefordshire Care Providers Association
National Care Association

National Care Association
Suffolk Care Association

Suffolk Care Association
West Midlands Care Association

West Midlands Care Association

Hear what our clients say about us

They are saviours! They rescued my business – they are worth every penny!

Client testimonial Healthcare Regulatory

After months and months of delays with our CQC Registrations I brought in Paul and Laura. Their combined calm, reassuring and very professional approach gave me sustenance and hope and within less than two weeks of working on our behalf, our registrations were confirmed.

Client testimonial CQC registration

I got through to Paul immediately and he told me what to do there and then, I didn’t realise how limited the Local Authority’s powers were.

Client testimonial Local Authority Enforcement

We have always always found the advice and support from the team extremely helpful and reassuring. They provide a positive and welcome service to care providers tackling difficult legal and regulatory issues.

Client testimonial Healthcare Regulatory client

You feel that you get both legal advice and consultancy, borne out of many years of dealing with regulators.

Client testimonial Healthcare Regulatory

We have been able to depend on them like an extension of our own team. Their approach, knowledge and expertise has ensured all our matters have been handled efficiently.

Client testimonial Healthcare Regulatory

Legal updates and thought leadership

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