Harper Macleod Establishes Scottish Care Helpline
Leading commercial law firm Harper Macleod LLP is celebrating this week after being selected to partner with Scottish Care in the provision of a regulatory helpline to care home providers.
With a total membership of around 600, Scottish Care is the representative organisation of care home owners and care at home providers in Scotland. It is recognised by local and central government as the definitive voice of the independent care sector and is represented on the government's working parties on care.
The new Regulatory helpline provided by Harper Macleod offers Scottish Care members the chance to benefit from the firm's social care expertise, with preliminary advice on regulatory matters offered for free during the first telephone call. If further advice or assistance is needed, members can instruct the Harper Macleod Medicare team and benefit from discounted fee rates.
In April 2002, the introduction of new legislation - The Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001 (ROSCA) - changed the registration and regulation of care home services in Scotland. Under the new regime, all care home services must be registered by the Care Commission, ensuring they conform to the national care standards.
The new legislation has created a number of legal and regulatory issues for the sector and Scottish Care is partnering with the Medicare Practice Group at Harper Macleod to offer its members the value added service of a regulatory helpline to assist them with meeting the requirements of ROSCA.
Professor Lorne Crerar, Managing Partner at Harper Macleod, commented; "We are delighted to have been selected to work with Scottish Care in providing a regulatory helpline for their members. Our Medicare Practice Group is renowned for its considerable expertise in the health and social care sectors and the new Scottish Care helpline simply reinforces the firm's reputation as one of Scotland's leading players in this sector."
Joe Campbell, Chief Executive of Scottish Care, said, "Care in all its forms is ever changing and throws up enormous challenges. Legislation also has to change to keep up with the new standards and conditions of excellence, which Scottish Care has embraced enthusiastically over the years, and we welcome the professional legal helpline created by Harper Macleod and ourselves. This firm of international lawyers has direct experience and knowledge of our sector and to have their advice at the end of a telephone, day and night, is hugely advantageous to our members."
Harper Macleod's Medicare Practice Group has been considerably strengthened in the past twelve months, with the appointments of Partners Fraser Hardie and Dr Norman Oliver as well as Associate Sandra Hartley. The Group is now widely recognised as one of the leading legal teams in Scotland for health and social care matters. Fraser Hardie provides advice to a cross section of the health and social care sector advising funders, developers and providers, from national corporates to not for profit organisations on a variety of issues including site acquisition, development, leasing and financing.
Dr Norman Oliver has worked with the health and social care sector on a variety of commercial and regulatory issues including disposal and acquisition of care home assets, registration issues and commercial and regulatory due diligence prior to investment. Norman has also chaired a number of educational seminars following the introduction of the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001.
Sandra Hartley, who joined Harper Macleod at the end of 2005, has been involved in a wide range of projects, public private joint ventures and corporate transactions. She has worked on numerous health and social care projects and provides specialist regulatory advice to health and social care providers and investors.
Established in 1988 by Professor Lorne Crerar and Rod McKenzie, Harper Macleod has evolved into a firm with 31 Partners, 2 Consultants, 97 Fee Earners and a complement of 180 staff. Renowned for its expertise in Sports, Public Sector & Housing, Employment, Banking, Recoveries and Litigation, the firm includes the Scottish Premier League, The Scottish Executive, Optical Express, Tulloch Limited, THUS plc, The Child Support Agency, Direct Line Insurance and BCW Group plc in its impressive list of clients. The firm swept the boards at the recent Scottish Legal Awards 2006, taking the titles of Corporate Team of the Year and Rising Star of the Year as well as the coveted award for Firm of the Year.
