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01202 786187

Specialist Services

Health & Social Care Healthcare
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Laura is located at:

Bournemouth Office
Russell House
Oxford Road
Bournemouth
BH8 8EX
DX: 7623

Testimonials

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Laura and I have worked together on a number of client cases over the past 4 years. Laura is extremely knowledgeable and professional but also very approachable, she is committed to her clients, and goes the extra mile when they need advice or a push in the right direction. I am always impressed with Laura’s determination, responsive involvement and ability to achieve a quality result for her clients, often in very difficult circumstances.
I believe that Laura’s Clients get high quality advice and support, professional case management, determined and effective legal challenges and ultimately beneficial outcomes. I recommend Lester Aldridge LLP and specifically Laura and her team to my Clients on a regular basis.Close quote
Pro-Risk Care Consultancy
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Laura is professional and courteous, honest and forthright, diligent and tenacious. We would not hesitate to approach her for guidance and would highly recommend her and her team.Close quote
Care Home Owner
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Engaging Lester Aldridge and working with Laura Guntrip and her team has been a pleasure and a blessing.

One of our Homes was experiencing extreme difficulty with our regulators and with Laura’s expertise, counsel and representation we were able to overcome a task that at times seemed to be a losing battle.

The service we have received from Laura and her team has always been first class. We have been able to depend on them like an extension of our own team. Their approach, knowledge and expertise have ensured all our matters have been handled efficiently. We are now a stronger organisation and if the need ever was to arise again, we would no doubt be contacting Lester Aldridge.

Thank you once again Laura. We know we can’t thank you enough.
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Care Home Owner
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Laura Guntrip is the head of the firm's healthcare and social care department and has considerable expertise in relation to issues affecting care homes. She regularly assists with the regulatory elements of due diligence exercises as well as Care Quality Commission challenges.
"Laura Guntrip is an outstanding healthcare lawyer."
"She brings sound practical sense and tactical judgement to cases."
"Laura has been very experienced and professional on all matters where we have sought her advice. Her commitment to go above and beyond is much appreciated."Close quote
Healthcare (UK-wide)
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Laura Guntrip is a stand-out professional legal advisor. She is highly valued by our organisation and is our ‘go-to’ person for sector knowledge and advice.Close quote
Client testimonial
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Laura Guntrip – She is calm, considered and provides insight on the key issues.Close quote
Client testimonial

Laura leads the Healthcare Team in advising providers of adult care homes, nursing homes, supported living facilities, independent hospitals, children’s homes and schools, throughout England and Wales, on a range of issues. Laura regularly represents clients in challenging inspection reports and defending enforcement action by regulators such as CQC, CIW or Ofsted. This includes action by the regulator to refuse or vary registration, impose conditions of registration or cancel registration, including appeals to the Care Standards Tribunal and urgent actions before a magistrate.

Laura also has defended clients in criminal investigations and prosecutions, by either CQC, HSE, Fire Authority, Environmental Health or the Police. She is experienced in the field of criminal law and is able to represent providers from PACE interviews under caution, through to prosecution. In addition, Laura regularly represents healthcare providers, GPs and others in Coroner’s Inquests, throughout England. Her work, also, includes local authority or CCG contractual disputes, disputes with residents, Court of Protection cases and safeguarding investigations. Laura also has experience representing clients in relation to professional misconduct hearings or disputing their inclusion on the barred lists; as well as public law judicial review proceedings within the care sector.

Laura has a strong reputation for her regulatory due diligence work which she frequently undertakes for purchasers, vendors or funders, dealing with acquisitions, sales or refinancing of all types of care facilities, including care homes, day schools, children’s homes, independent special schools, fostering agencies, acute medical units and fertility clinics.

As a result of her expertise in these niche areas and her excellent reputation as a legal advisor in the sector, Laura is often asked to speak at conferences nationally and regularly writes for sector publications, including Caring Times.

Laura initially joined Lester Aldridge in 2004 for a yearlong work placement as part of her law degree. Following the completion of her degree, Laura returned to Lester Aldridge and has continued to progress her career, becoming a partner of the firm in 2017.

Recent examples of work or case studies

  • Representing a family-run care provider in Kent in defending an action by CQC to cancel the registration of its care home. This included providing support and advice on both strategy and how to achieve compliance, providing representation through Tribunal appeal proceedings and successfully negotiating with CQC to dispose of the appeal without the need for a Tribunal hearing.
  • Representing a large national care provider in defending a prosecution by CQC.
  • Representing a large corporate children’s home operator in respect of a lengthy inquest, after a young person took his own life in their children’s home.
  • Undertaking regulatory due diligence in respect of the sales and acquisitions of many of the largest national groups in the sector over recent years.
  • Representing a Registered Provider and Registered Manager of a small family-run care home in successfully avoiding prosecution by CQC regarding circumstances where a resident was injured.
  • Representing a regional care association in challenging fees set by the local authority.

 

 

Get in touch with Laura Guntrip