Philippa Doyle

Philippa has practised almost exclusively in the health and social care sector for over 19 years.

In respect of social care, Philippa has provided advice and support to varied providers ranging from care home groups challenging local authority fee setting processes to the successful resistance of a safeguarding and fraud investigation into alleged mis-use of client monies. She also led a successful challenge to the Care Quality Commission on behalf of an independent living social care provider to the conduct of an inspector and the quality of the report itself, which resulted in a re-inspection by the CQC and a re-grading from “inadequate” to “good” for the provider and regularly advises on challenges from threatened prosecutions by CQC, complaints and Factual Accuracy Challenges. She has provided extensive Registered Manager training to aide compliance with the Fundamental Standards

Philippa has a unique insight into the workings of CQC as she also advises them from time to time on appeals against their decisions in other areas of the country.

Philippa’s CQC work extends to the NHS and private health, social care and third sector clients the firm acts for, including challenges on behalf of GP practices, NHS Mental Health Trusts, Community Interest Companies, dentists, care homes, domiciliary care services and private hospitals.

A further mix of Philippa’s health and social care work relates to Court of Protection and Deprivation of Liberty Challenges, particularly in the community sector where she regularly supports CCG’s.

She advises extensively on continuing healthcare matters, most specifically for clinical commissioning groups and NHS England in relation to responsible commissioner disputes, extensive reviews of periods of unassessed care, including a number of current judicial reviews in this area and recent challenges by providers and provider groups to monitor regarding the setting of continuing healthcare rates payable to care homes.

Philippa has provided training to independent funding request panels and supports CCG’s in decision making in respect of novel funding requests, including resisting threats of judicial review.

Philippa also has an interest in data protection and freedom of information matters which continue to be hot topics particularly in respect of the private and NHS mix of healthcare services. She has provided training to front line staff in a large charity on data security.

Philippa has previously specialised in advising primarily former PCTs and now NHS England in performers list and contractual matters impacting on the four contractor groups of GPs, dentists, opticians and pharmacists. Her extensive knowledge gained in this sector also enables her to offer candid and proactive advice to individual practitioners on the approach likely to be taken by NHS England to their particular situation to aide a realistic and swift conclusion to a situation. These skills will now also be transferred to supporting CCGs under co-commissioning.

Philippa earned an MA in Healthcare Ethics from Leeds University in 2008 inspired by the inter-relationship between private and NHS health care.