About

Netcare is the largest provider of private healthcare in South Africa and, through its controlling stake in General Health Care, the owner of the largest private hospital group in the UK. The diverse legal risks and tight regulation faced by Netcare are handled by a team of just 13, only four of whom are lawyers, including general counsel and group company secretary Lynelle Bagwandeen.

By working with skilled paralegals and administrative support, and by employing technological solutions to resourcing legal work, the team is able to punch well above its weight. A large part of the team’s strength comes from its stability: only one member of staff has departed in recent years, and each member of the team follows a personal development plan to help them grow with the company. Of particular note has been the team’s introduction of a revised legal database and electronic data management system. Devised and executed with Netcare’s IT team, this database contains all legal agreements and legal opinions concluded and procured by the group, allowing business to “self-serve” on many legal matters. Not only has this improved turnaround times, but it is consistent with the team’s philosophy concerning the role of legal within an organisation. As Bagwandeen comments: ‘We need to constantly ensure the business units we deal with are acutely aware of contract law, principles of competition law and key legislative changes to mitigate the legal risk to the group as a whole, [but] we do not believe it is appropriate that the legal team hold the monopoly on legal knowledge. It should be appropriately disseminated and reinforced as often as possible’.

Other key initiatives include linking the legal framework to company policies in order to ensure changes in legislation prompt a policy update that is reflected in standardised legal contracts. The team also organises an annual national roadshow to discuss key regulatory and recurring legal issues concerns while helping to overcome the geographical divide between head office and the facilities it operates. The legal department has also led on Netcare’s corporate ethics and social responsibility initiatives, achieving outstanding results. It was ranked third in the prestigious FTSE/JSE Top 30 Responsible Investment Index and was deemed the most transparent healthcare provider in Corruption Watch’s “Transparency in Corporate Reporting” report for South Africa.