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Health and care

Health and care is an ecosystem. Your advisers need to understand every part of it and how they connect. With our extensive experience, we can help you navigate this complexity.

illustration for Health and care

With our years as a leader in the health and care sector and our cross-sector expertise, ​our lawyers cover everything from
NHS workforce to the biggest transactions between the public and independent sectors.

 

We can help you in three key ways.

  • Deliver the big things - mergers and acquisitions. Major contracts. Service redesign. Digital transformation.

  • Manage the everyday challenges - workforce. Patient issues.
    Regulator relationships. Estates. ESG. Cyber security.

  • Make the important decisions - being your critical friend. A second pair of eyes, guiding your decision-making.

Our experience

  • Working with the Department of Health and Social Care to design, procure and implement Future Operating Model project - a system governing some £5 billion plus annual NHS spend

  • Supporting a high-profile US hospital group on the planned opening of a new London site

  • High profile and extremely sensitive patient litigation

  • Supporting the British Medical Association (BMA) in connection with the new £2.8 billion GP contract in England with £1.8 billion being earmarked to support the creation of new Primary Care Networks

  • Advising founder/owners of care home businesses on the sale of various care homes including preparation for sale

  • Advising a major US real estate investment trust on their healthcare property interests in the UK

Did you know?

30,000 staff

Advising Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust on workforce issues.

30+

Delivering new EPR and connected IT systems across NHS Trusts and Integrated Care Systems.

£300m

Supporting Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust on the development of the new Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital. 

Our clients

  • Acute care - Cambridge University Hospitals NHS FT, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children FT, Manchester University NHS FT, Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust

  • Mental health - Mersey Care NHS FT, Elysium Healthcare, Cygnet Health

  • Commissioners - ICBs

  • National bodies - Department of Health & Social Care, UK Health Security Agency, Supply Chain Coordination Limited, CQC, Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority

  • Charities – Sue Ryder, Livability

  • Care and education - providers (Four Season Health Care, Aspris) and investors (Downing LLP)

  • Healthtech & digital health innovators – Siemens Healthcare, IGPR Technologies, Preventx, Ergea, Alliance Medical

  • Primary care - Primary Care Networks, BMA Law

Our lawyers

200+ lawyers work for our health and care clients, including specialists in aligned areas like life sciences, healthtech, IT, insurance and education.

What our clients say about us?

 

“You and the team have been epic, but very importantly not just for this deal but in all our dealings over the last 7+ years. You took the time to understand the business, you understood our ambition and you matched our energy, as a partner we couldn’t have asked anymore of you and the team”

Derrick Farrell, Chief Executive

Vita Health Group

“Professional and responsive service consistently provided. I believe that they have taken time to understand our organisation and we have developed a good working relationship.”

Client “Fearless Feedback” Survey

NHS Client

“All representatives of Mills & Reeve were excellent in the services they offered throughout the project and I will not hesitate to recommend the firm.”

Client “Fearless Feedback” Survey

Independent Sector Health Client

Our expertise

CareTech
Commissioning, contracts and procurement
Governance and partnerships
Health and care inquests
Health and care: M&A and other corporate transactions
Health and care real estate and capital projects
Health tech
Independent sector health and care
Mental capacity
Mental health
NHS digital transformation
Policy, public law and disputes
Primary care
Public inquiries and investigations
Social care
Women's health and technology (femtech)
Employment - health and care
Health and care regulation

Health and care blog

Our health and care blog keeps our clients up to date with sector developments from policy to new case law. 

Health and care blog

Health and care hub

Our unique online resource for health and care clients working in the public and independent sectors.

Access the hub

Integrated care systems hub

Our ICS Hub page includes a wide range of resources to help provide answers and guidance for a variety of legal issues specifically for professionals working at systems, place-based or neighbourhood levels. 

Find out more

Frequently asked questions

Supporting clients to overcome obstacles and challenges and achieve incredible results.

Examples from the past 12 months:

·       Large scale capital schemes. Advising Cambridge University Hospitals on the development of the £300 million world class Cancer Research Hospital and the first Children’s Hospital for East of England

·       NHS digital transformation with Electronic Patient Record projects and the intra-Trust EPR collaboration in the sector, such as Royal Papworth, Norfolk & Waveney, Salisbury, Swindon & Bath and Plymouth, and Torbay & South Devon

·       Supply Chain Coordination Limited on its projects delivering of over £1 billion of supplies to NHS

·       UK Health Security Agency as one of the Core Participants in the UK Covid-19 Inquiry

·       ARCHIMED on the sale of Vita Health Group to Spire Healthcare Group for £74 million

·       Sue Ryder on the sale of its neurological services in England to Brainkind (The Disabilities Trust)

·       Four Seasons Health Care on Project Oak, the sale of a national portfolio of care homes to several different buyers

Yes.

We help both public and independent healthcare organisations, advising 500+ clients nationally, in every part of the sector – from NHS Trusts and Integrated Care Boards to national bodies and independent sector providers and investors covering mental health, technology, specialist education and care services, fertility services, care homes.


We understand the legal frameworks used by the NHS to deliver care and the partnership models adopted by NHS providers working with the independent sector. We have worked on many of the emerging collaboratives across the public-private sector.

We have one of the largest and most experienced health and care sector teams, with over four decades of experience. This means creative solutions and informed advice based on a vast body of sector experience.

 

Specialist teams include:

  • Inquests
  • HealthTech
  • Care and education
  • Mergers and acquisitions and corporate transactions
  • Mental health
  • Mental capacity
  • Employment
  • Commissioning, contracts and procurement
  • Governance and partnerships
  • Regulatory
  • Primary care
  • NHS digital transformation
  • Public inquiries and investigations
  • Real estate and capital projects

As advisors to the NHS and independent healthcare providers, we are:
•    Associates of NHS Confederation 
•    Commercial associates of the Independent Healthcare Providers Network

We have a range of resources you can sign up to:

Mills & Reeve has been appointed to the following NHS legal service frameworks:

  • NHS Commercial Solutions
  • NHS Shared Business Services
  • NHS North of England Commercial Procurement Collaborative 
  • Crown Commercial Services - Public Sector Legal Services    

Get in touch

Our team of legal experts are here to support you.
Contact one of our lawyers today.

Contact us

Meet the team

Latest blogs from the health and care team

20 Dec 2024

The Way We Care (or a perfect storm…)

There have been a lot of recent publications relating to children’s social care recently.

More

20 Dec 2024

A delayed application to the Court of Protection: At what cost?

A recent Court of Protection (COP) decision highlights the risk of a costs order being made when a party has delayed in issuing proceedings.

More

18 Dec 2024

Modern Slavery within the care sector

A report from the House of Lords issued in October 2024 highlighted a significant increase in modern slavery cases in the care sector, with a 400% rise in reported victims, since the sector was added to the Shortage Occupation List. Aimee Stokes, Senior Associate (Barrister) a...

More

16 Dec 2024

Investing in tomorrow: Our future homes

On 26 November the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and DHSC published their joint report.

More

06 Dec 2024

Court of Appeal decision on primary care contract disputes: a reminder for commissioners

The Appeal in Shashikanth primarily concerned the question of whether adjudication of disputes between GPs and NHS commissioners is amenable to judicial review but also provided an important reminder in connection with contract variations.

More

05 Dec 2024

Candour in healthcare: where next?

The report into the findings of the call for evidence on the statutory duty of candour for health and social care providers was published by the Department of Health and Social Care on 26 November 2024.

More

02 Dec 2024

Deck the halls with data security: Twelve tips for a safe and Merry Christmas

As we gather to celebrate the season of giving and goodwill, data protection managers around the globe may be taking advantage of this opportunity to raise awareness in a joyful and tinsel-strewn manner. After all, ensuring robust data protection measures is akin to wrapping...

More

15 Nov 2024

Fire safety: Safeguarding residents in care homes

Fire safety is a critical concern for care providers, especially within residential services. The unique challenges of the care home environment mean that any lapse in fire safety can lead to devastating consequences. Ensuring robust fire safety measures is essential to protec...

More

13 Nov 2024

A victory for defendants in privacy litigation

Disciplinary proceedings within the health and care sector are inherently complex and face numerous challenges. Organisations must maintain the balance between protecting personal data and upholding the standards of professional accountability.

More

Related sectors & services

Charities and social enterprise Construction contracts and appointments Employment - health and care Health and safety Health tech Information technology Information law, data protection and privacy Inquests Life sciences Procurement disputes Public procurement Regulatory Technology