NHS bodies face escalating demand for services increasing scrutiny of quality and flat line funding. From reviews of acute community and mental health services to proposals to relocate or close a single service clinical commissioning groups trusts and foundation trusts are making daily decisions about which services to continue which to commission and which to stop.
Regulatory healthcare lawyer Philip Grey offers some practical tips for an effective lawful consultation process in his National Health Executive article: Think before you speak: How to involve the public effectively when reconfiguring NHS services. You can view Philip's piece on the National Health Executive's website.
Mills & Reeve has extensive experience of providing service reconfiguration advice. We can advise NHS bodies on: when they must consult the public how they go about doing it and how they can protect themselves from legal challenge.