Lester Aldridge LLP

Healthcare

Laura Guntrip is a Partner and Head of the Healthcare team.

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 defends 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, safeguarding investigations and community care cases. Laura also has experience of 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 also 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 year long work placement as part of her law degree.  Following completion of her degree, Laura returned to Lester Aldridge and has continued to progress her career, becoming a Partner of the firm in 2017.