Consultation
NHS bodies are always under pressure to improve clinical standards and cut costs. This sometimes involves changes to the services provided. Whether it's a question of centralising some emergency services or commissioning enhanced primary care services, you're obliged to involve service users in your planning and decision-making.
Capsticks has an outstanding reputation for advising healthcare bodies on public law issues, including consultation requirements, investigations and inquiries, defending judicial reviews and compliance with the myriad legislative requirements governing their activities.
We've acted on many consultations, ranging from the health economy reconfigurations of acute hospital services to highly contentious proposals for changes to GP practices or decommissioning services that provide poor value for money.
By involving Capsticks in any public consultation process, you can be confident that the process will be well managed, legally sound and robust. This will reduce the risk of legal challenge or Overview and Scrutiny Committee (OSC) referral. However, if you're still challenged in the courts or elsewhere, we'll achieve a rapid conclusion at the lowest possible cost, while keeping your reputation intact.
We've successfully represented NHS bodies in many judicial reviews arising from service reconfiguration decisions, resolutions not to fund high treatment costs and other headline cases such as the South Central Strategic Health Authority's proposals to fluoridate the water supply in Southampton and south-west Hampshire.
“Capsticks is an approachable, available team which gives very good advice on healthcare issues.”
Chambers 2016
Urgent service changes: minimising the risk
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