GP & Primary Care Solicitors

Securing the right premises, on the right terms, is critical for any GP practice but navigating the legal and financial complexities can be challenging. We have extensive experience to assist with all of your premises needs, including purchasing, leasing, refinancing, funding, development, sales, auctions and leaseback transactions. For leasehold premises, we can help you to manage your landlord and tenant relationship, from negotiating leases to documenting consents and pursuing any leasehold breaches and other disputes. 

Keeping your partnership agreement up to date is essential in an ever-changing healthcare landscape. Central to the services we provide to GPs is the preparation of a GP partnership agreement to suit the individual needs of each practice. Due to the frequent changes to which the sector is subject, partnership agreements tend to go out of date and will need to be updated over time. We offer specialised know-how on the appropriate wording, as well as advice on the implications for the partners.  We are always happy to carry out this work on a fixed-fee basis. 

Mergers have become more and more common since 2012. A merger may be an attempt to achieve economies of scale, but increasingly they are a solution to GP practices being unable to recruit. With over 30 years' experience and 150+ successful mergers, we can guide you through the process smoothly and with reassurance. 

Disputes - whether with partners, commissioners or landlords - can be costly and disruptive. Our extensive experience of dispute resolution within the healthcare sector, including partnership disputes, PCN disputes, disputes with NHS commissioners (including regarding breach/remedial/ termination notices and clawbacks), defending service charge claims, procurement challenges, judicial review, pensions disputes, defending recruitment agency claims and general commercial litigation. Where possible, we assist clients to pursue alternative dispute resolution (ADR) options (including negotiation, round table meetings and mediation).

Find out more about our litigation services

Find out more about our procurement services

Operating at scale introduces unique legal complexities. We have supported and established a range of at-scale providers, working with both partnership and corporate models. Our deep understanding of these complexities ensures we understand the different challenges faced by a provider at scale compared with a traditional GP practice.

Incorporating a PCN is a major decision, but it’s not always the right one. we have advised on the incorporation of around 50 Primary Care Networks and have drawn up network schedules for many more. We regularly field enquiries on whether incorporation is the right thing for PCNs to do, and we present both the advantages and disadvantages to a client before they incorporate, even if that means talking ourselves out of a job.

Clear, well-structured agreements are vital for protecting your practice and ensuring smooth operations. We draft, review and advise on commercial agreements in the primary care sector, including partnership agreements, service agreements, section 96 funding agreements and data sharing agreements. GP practices will often enter into agreements with each other - for example if they develop premises together, or where they employ shared staff, and we can help you put the right framework in place for this.

Find out more about our commercial contract services

Running a GP practice or Primary Care Network (PCN) as a corporate entity brings governance and operational challenges. We can advise and support in relation to the incorporation of your practice or PCN, including bespoke corporate governance documents such as shareholders' agreements and articles of association. We also offer a company secretarial service. Our support extends to restructuring, debt recovery, insolvency, shareholder disputes, and facilitating mergers and acquisitions - helping your organisation grow with confidence.

Find out more about our corporate services

Managing employment matters in primary care can be complex, from recruitment to disputes. Our team provides expert support with drafting employment contracts and service agreements, advising on TUPE processes, and structuring PCN workforce arrangements. We also defend Employment Tribunal claims, including those brought by partners under the Equality Act. In addition to our team, Narrow Quay HR, our HR consultancy team, provides a flexible and practical range of cost-effective HR solutions to assist with day-to-day HR challenges.  

Find out more about our employment services

Navigating CQC regulations can be complex, but ensuring compliance is essential for your practice’s success. We provide advice regarding registration, including as to whether particular services trigger a registration requirement, and which entity needs to be registered where the provider is part of a complex group structures. Our support extends to preparing for inspections, factual accuracy responses and with challenging CQC ratings and enforcement action. We also deliver training to our GP clients regarding CQC inspections and opportunities to challenge CQC action.

Legal challenges can arise unexpectedly, and GP practices must be prepared to respond effectively. We advise and represent GP practices involved in court proceedings and Coroners' inquests. Our team has experience supporting LMCs and GP clients where a GP partner is the subject of a police investigation and the practice needs to take appropriate action to protect their position, support their partner and cooperate with the investigation.

We support dispensing practices to understand their regulatory and contractual obligations. We also support dispensing practices to challenge underpayments by NHS BSA.

Managing patient and practice data comes with strict legal obligations. Our information law specialists have assisted GP clients with subject access requests, freedom of information requests and data sharing agreements.

Find out more about our information law services

We can also advise on the range of "not for profit" (or social enterprise) structures that can be used to operate healthcare businesses in addition to charities, including Community Interest Companies (or CICs), to support your decision as to the most appropriate vehicle for your business.

Whether you are a partnership, corporate entity, or charity or require personal tax advice, our dedicated tax solicitors can help you with the evolving nature of tax. We understand the importance of providing you with relevant and tailored tax advice. By also working with your accountant and financial adviser, we aim to provide you with a seamless solution aligning with all your interests.

Find out more about our tax services