Social healthcare law

If care, treatments, or facilities you were depending on have been cut or denied, we can advocate to get you reconnected with the help you need.

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Understanding your rights

You have rights under public law, and you don’t have to challenge public bodies alone. You can get legal help with:

Health and welfare disputes in the Court of Protection
Special Educational Needs including challenging local authority decisions
Healthcare funding disputes including NHS continuing healthcare (CHC) disputes
Community Care including failure to carry out an assessment and/or suitable care
Mental capacity including Advance Decisions, best interests, and Deprivation of Liberty
Closure of healthcare facilities such as hospitals, clinics, care homes, day care services and walk in centres
Healthcare and medical treatments including DNR (do not resuscitate) and withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment.

We have lots of documents to help you navigate these subjects, as well as template letters written by our lawyers to help you make requests, complaints, challenges, or appeals.

You don’t need to retain our services to use these – they are free to all.

Please note these documents do not constitute legal advice. For advice on your unique situation, call us for a free consultation.

Access our free factsheets and letters

Speak to our specialist

Our team are here to ensure people receive the care, respect, and advocacy they deserve.

Yogi Amin

Partner and National Head of Public Law and Human Rights

Find out more

Meet our experts

Yogi Amin

Partner and National Head of Public Law and Human Rights

Find out more

Instructing a solicitor for a healthcare and social services issue

Many people find it intimidating to challenge a care decision. It starts with understanding your rights, knowing who to contact, and getting legal help if you can’t manage alone.

Our specialist community care solicitors have decades of experience tackling the legal issues around care services, including the changes to the law under the Care Act. We’ve helped our clients seek justice for a range of legal problems, including:

Withdrawal or reduction of care
Failure to carry out a community care assessment
Failure to provide a suitable level of care after an assessment
Closure of care facilities such as day centres, respite centres, care homes, or transport services.

We understand how sensitive some of these issues can be. If you, a loved one, or someone in your care needs to challenge a community care decision, please get in touch.

We have a large team of expert health and social care lawyers working across the UK, so we’re perfectly placed to help you, wherever you are. We are also recognised as a leading firm in this field and have been involved with some of the most high profile health and social care cases. We hold a legal aid contract for this area of law, through which many of our clients choose to fund their cases.

Making an enquiry

We have several ways you can contact us, either by completing our online contact form, by phone, or using our live chat. If you start your journey online, here are the first steps to working together.

Complete our online form
We need a few details to understand your situation and the kind of support you need.
We’ll contact you by phone
On the call our experts will ask you a few more questions to make sure we connect you with the right legal advice from our team.
We arrange a full appointment
Your next step is an in-depth appointment with a specialist solicitor to discuss how we could advise you.

Get in touch

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I open a community care case on behalf of someone else?

Yes. Often, the person who needs community care can’t seek advice themselves, either because they are a child, or as a result of their disability. In these situations, a family member, carer, or other suitable person can seek advice on their behalf. In many of our cases, ‘litigation friends’ are appointed to act on behalf of children or adults who don’t have the mental capacity to make decisions themselves.

What does ‘lacking mental capacity’ mean?

To have mental capacity means to:

Understand what a decision involves
Be able to ‘weigh up’ information to reach a decision
Remember information long enough to make the decision
Communicate the decision to others.

If a person can’t do this, you can apply to the Court of Protection to advocate for them. We can help you with the application process, or act as a deputy for them ourselves.

What kind of funding is available for healthcare and social services cases?

Means-tested legal aid is still available for this area of law. The means test is carried out in relation to the person who’s getting the benefit of legal representation. If you’re claiming social services or healthcare, it’s you who will be getting means tested. If your income is from state benefits, or if you’re on a low income and don’t have any significant savings, then you’re likely to qualify for legal aid.

The income or savings of your other family members isn’t usually taken into account. Some of our clients also fund their cases through Legal Expenses Insurance, and so pay nothing for our advice. Whatever your funding method, we will always advise you on how best to fund your case.

Our commitment to you

Our experts always start by listening, so we understand what matters most from day one.

01
Clear legal guidance
You will always get straightforward, honest advice, with regular updates to keep you clear on the way forward.
02
Specialist knowledge
A wide-ranging team of trusted specialists who understand what it takes to protect your future, your family or your business.
03
Your needs first
Whether you’re navigating complex personal situations or business decisions, we take the time to understand your world and what’s at stake.