In theory, this statement should be correct. The Inquest process is inquisitorial and its purpose is to establish the facts, not to lay blame. However, in practice, things can and do come out at Inquests which can cause serious damage to service providers. Why should I get involved? Given the nature of health and social …
What does it take to achieve an Outstanding rating in General Practice? Given that the existing quality of General Practice (GP) care in this country is high, with 5% of GP services rated as Outstanding, followed by 90% rated as Good, an Outstanding rating should be attainable. This article explores what it means to be …
Matt Hancock announced at the daily briefing on 5 June 2020 that face covering will become mandatory in all NHS hospital settings from 15 June 2020. Hospital staff will have to wear Type 1 or Type 2 surgical masks (or more stringent protection when advised) in all areas except those which have been designated “COVID-secure”. …
Whilst the immediate public health crisis has abated somewhat and the UK starts to ease lockdown measures, GP practices will be watching with interest. The Covid-19 outbreak has brought with it a fundamental shift in the ways GPs work. They have, for example gone from having face-to-face consultations with the vast majority of patients, to …
Last month I wrote an article reviewing the DHSC’s emergency guidance on the application of The Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) during the COVID-19 pandemic. As explained in my article (found here) the emergency guidance aims to assist those caring for adults who lack mental capacity when deciding on …
Revised COVID-19 Emergency MCA and DoLS Guidance Read More »
On 28 May 2020, the Royal College of General Practitioners (“RCGP”) responded to the NHS Digital Workforce figures which highlighted that there was still a GP workforce crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic. Commenting on the figures, Professor Martin Marshall, Chair of the RCGP’s said, “It’s very concerning to see the number of full-time equivalent GPs …
This article considers what will happen in the health and social care sector in terms of regulation and litigation beyond the Covid-19 crisis. CQC’s Emergency Support Framework As providers will know, CQC have paused routine inspections and introduced the Emergency Support Framework (“ESF”). CQC’s position is that the ESF is a flexible and supportive process, …
Beyond Covid-19: the legal landscape in the health and social care sector Read More »
The CQC suspended routine inspections in March 2020. According to its letter to social care providers on 16 March 2020 announcing the suspension, this was to support providers and keep people safe in response to the Coronavirus pandemic. It therefore seems that inspections were suspended both for safety reasons, to keep down the risk of …
Are CQC routine inspections likely to recommence? And in what form? Read More »
We know from reports in the press and from our clients that there have been significant disparities between different Local Authorities’ reactions to the covid-19 pandemic in the care sector. In particular, we have seen significant variation how they have allocated and distributed funding support to Adult Social Care providers following central government’s allocation of …
Government guidance on Coronavirus changes frequently and it is important to ensure that your policies are up to date and in line with the latest guidance. The guidance should be considered in the context of your own service and your policies should be flexible, reviewed and updated regularly. I have referred to eight examples of …
Policies to introduce in light of Coronavirus guidance Read More »
Ridouts is a team of specialist health and social care lawyers, providing dedicated legal advice for care homes, GP practices, children’s homes, dental practices, domiciliary and home care agencies, supported and independent living services and both private and NHS hospitals.
info@ridout-law.com • +44 (0) 207 317 0340
7-10 Chandos Street, W1G 9DQ, London
