Social Care
We understand the complexities of the fast-moving, heavily-regulated social care sector and the challenges this presents to providers in balancing opportunity and risk.
Our highly experienced lawyers offer tailored legal advice to help clients maximise the positive impact on the people they support whilst protecting operational, commercial and reputational success.
Services
ContactsOverview
As trusted advisors to many of the UK’s largest social care entities, our expertise extends to a range of public and independent sector clients. These include private providers, charities, housing associations, supported living providers, developers and investors. We work collaboratively with them to support sustainable, long-term growth of their services.
From creation and registration of new services and models of care delivery to regulatory enforcement, we offer comprehensive legal support that includes guidance on acquisition or development, recruitment and appointment to statutory positions, CQC registration and inspection, regulatory compliance (including factual accuracy and rating review processes), enforcement and formal legal proceedings.
We’re also adept at supporting providers and investors undertaking organisational change and transactional projects, leveraging our extensive commercial, corporate and real estate capability to develop (or dispose of) your operations.
Featured experience
- Supporting through the full life cycle of regulatory registration, compliance, and enforcement. This includes advising on CQC registration, inspection and rating and all aspects of civil and criminal enforcement, including appeals to the First Tier Tribunal and criminal prosecution in respect of safe care, ill-treatment and wilful neglect and manslaughter offences.
- Advising on all aspects of mental health and capacity law, including issues such best interests decision making, managing the role of the Court of Protection and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards in residential social care and the community. We also assist in navigating the interface with health services and commissioners, and broader interagency working, including safeguarding bodies and the police.
- Acting for a developer on the acquisition and planning for a care home and retirement village, including preparation of the section 106 agreement. We work with real estate developers on specialist accommodation stretching across the development cycle, including planning, construction, financing, asset management and litigation issues around social care and supported living services.
- Providing comprehensive employment law advice to clients across the sector, including advising on disciplinaries and grievances, performance management, discrimination, whistleblowing, employment regulatory issues and senior executive disputes, and representing our clients at all stages of litigation
- Advising on share and asset sale transactions, including due diligence on current levels of regulatory compliance and quality standards, drafting of necessary contractual wording, transaction documentation and support through the CQC registration and de-registration processes
Related services
Advocacy
Immersed in the insurance market, we continually deliver innovative solutions for you including a dedicated advocacy and advisory service.
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Commercial Health
The health and social care sector remains under great pressure to both generate efficiencies as well as adopt innovation, all while continuing to provide safe and high quality care. This means that informed, commercial decisions need to be made, often at pace, against a backdrop of complex frameworks, and within a highly regulated environment.
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Corporate Health
We work with a wide range of businesses, nationally and internationally, across the health and social care sector, providing a comprehensive service across the whole spectrum of corporate transactions and advice.
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Dispute Resolution
Our Dispute Resolution team has an established reputation for handling complex, high value commercial disputes and achieving successful and pragmatic solutions for our clients.
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Data, Privacy and Cyber in Health
Our specialist lawyers understand, and advise based on the sensitivity and huge value of data in health and social care.
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Health Employment
Our market-leading employment team provides tailored solutions to difficult problems across the health and social care sector.
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Health Procurement
Our market-leading health and procurement teams provide expert guidance and support, alongside a diverse range of solutions tailored to your needs.
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Public Law and Judicial Review
Our public law team is uniquely experienced in acting for public bodies on high-profile judicial reviews, and advisory work across the health and social care sector.
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Regulatory and Investigations
Our comprehensive regulatory services span diverse sectors, including healthcare, finance, and more. We offer pragmatic, industry-specific advice to ensure compliance and navigate complex regulations with confidence.
Learn moreWhat our clients say
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”Their strengths lie in the knowledge they have which they impart in a manner that does not baffle the clinician and brings the two separate worlds together of law and clinical practice, which is no mean feat.
Legal 500, Public Sector: Health, North, 2023
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”Very sound advice, both technical and 'real world likelihood' in terms of risk management in particular.
Legal 500, Public Sector: Health, North, 2023
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”Superb personal values which marry with our own.
Legal 500, Public Sector: Health, North, 2023
Social care key contacts
Who we are
Why choose DAC Beachcroft?
We’re a broad-based commercial firm serving a wide range of sectors with a strong heritage in insurance,
health and real estate. We combine excellent legal skills and cutting-edge delivery expertise to design
solutions that fit the needs of our clients – often involving clever uses of technology.
Charities and Not for Profit Providers
We’re passionate about the charity sector and have a deep understanding of the charity and not for profit regulatory environment as well as the wider health and social care sector.
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Health Infrastructure
Our infrastructure and projects team is at the forefront of advising clients on strategic healthcare infrastructure projects.
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Independent Health
Our award winning team is the leading provider of legal advice to the UK independent health and social care sector. We offer tailored solutions to help our clients deliver high-quality care.
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MedTech and Digital Health
Our market-leading team supports MedTech and digital health organisations, from ambitious innovators to established global listed companies, at various stages of their life cycle.
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Mental Health
We provide specialist, practical and tailored legal advice for mental health service providers and commissioners, with a 24-hour accessible service.
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NHS
We offer market-leading, innovative, legal advice to enable the NHS to focus on delivering high-quality, safe patient care.
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Social Care
Our experts provide trusted legal advice to a wide range of organisations operating within the social care sector, supporting them to deliver safe care that will withstand legal, regulatory and public scrutiny, whilst also growing and developing their own organisation.
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