Samantha qualified as a Solicitor in April 2015 after completing a training contract with Ridouts and has since progressed to Associate level at the firm. She completed a degree in Biology before converting to law and, prior to joining Ridouts, worked in the real estate department of a medium sized law firm, specifically working on commercial leases.
Since joining Ridouts, Samantha has gained valuable experience in health and social care law. She has wide experience in preparing cases for the First Tier (Care Standards) Tribunal – from the drafting of witness statements to conducting telephone case management hearings and preparation for the final hearing. Other work includes: Responding to CQC inspection reports and enforcement action including warning notices, notices of proposal and notices of decision; Managing complaints about regulatory bodies including escalation to the relevant Ombudsman; Challenging local authorities with regard to placement contracts; Funding and fee disputes with local authorities; Advising on safeguarding concerns; Assisting with coroners inquests; Assisting with judicial review claims and Challenging the results of Ofsted inspections and Ofsted enforcement action.
Outside of work Samantha enjoys playing tennis, going to the theatre and travelling.
Recent cases:
- Samantha acted for a care home provider in challenging the factual accuracy of an inspection report and the ratings awarded in relation to one of their services. She drafted the factual accuracy response which led to amendments to the report, most notably the removal of references to a regulatory breach, and subsequently successfully challenged the ratings awarded through CQC’s rating review process which resulted in the rating increasing from “Requires Improvement” to “Good”.
- Samantha provided support to a care home provider in relation to a local authority safeguarding investigation. She attended multi-agency safeguarding meetings and wrote to the local authority expressing the providers concerns about the process being followed. This caused the local authority to act more reasonably and ultimately led to the removal of an embargo on admissions and the timely conclusion of the safeguarding referrals.
- Samantha acted for a children’s home provider in challenging Ofsted’s service of an urgent suspension of their registration. Following a hearing the First Tier (Care Standards) Tribunal ordered that the period of suspension should be shortened.
- Samantha acted for a care home provider challenging CQC’s urgent decision to impose a condition on their registration restricting admissions to one of their services. As a result, the First Tier (Care Standards) Tribunal allowed the appeal which meant the restriction was removed from the provider’s registration.
