A range of specialist consultancy services for providers and managers of adult social care services

Dr Richard Fairburn  LLB LLM BSc MB,BS DMS

Richard Fairburn trained originally in Medicine (with an intercalated 1st Class Honours BSc). After eight years in the NHS and four years in the pharmaceutical industry Richard owned and ran a nursing home in Suffolk from February 1986 (the first re‑registration in the old East Suffolk HA under the Registered Homes Act 1984) to 2003, and was the only home owner in the country to go all the way to the Care Standards Tribunal with regard to the transfer of registration under the Care Standards Act (resulting in a pivotal decision on the scope of registration of nursing homes).  He set up and ran a domiciliary care service from 1994, registering for the first time with CSCI in 2003, and selling it in 2006, then running an umbrella service for Criminal Records Disclosures.

Richard represented nursing homes and domiciliary care agencies locally from the late 1980s on regulatory and contractual matters. He was a member of the Council of the Registered Nursing Home Association for many years; member of the Executive Committee; set up a Patient Affairs Committee; and was the Association’s first Liaison Officer for Community Care, representing the independent sector in negotiations of the Guidance for Community Care.  He wrote monthly articles in “This Caring Business” on regulatory and other aspects of the Care industry for six years up to 2006, more recently writing editorials in “Caring UK”.  He qualified LLB at London University in 2000, and completed the Masters degree in Human Rights and Public Law at Essex University in 2002.  He obtained the Diploma in Legal Practice at the University of Westminster in 2004, and the NEBOSH Diploma in Occupational Safety and Health (Pt 1) in 2005.

Richard Fairburn has provided Consultancy advice on regulatory matters to Care Providers since 2000 and the implementation of the Care Standards Act, also running seminars across the country on regulatory issues from that time.  He took a particular interest in Statements of Purpose at the time of transfer to the Care Standards Act, preparing many such Statements for care homes and domiciliary care and nurses agencies, and has advised Care Providers on an ongoing basis in regard to regulatory issues for over two decades.

The Consultancy works with providers and managers to draft and submit: responses to draft inspection reports including draft performance ratings; responses to proposed enforcement action (including under the special measures scheme); and requests for review of published performance ratings where the ‘final’ ratings are still contested … as well as seminars ‘on the road’ or tailored for the organisation on site.

Over the years the Consultancy has prepared representations against Notices of Proposal.  Following recent success of the Consultancy in an appeal against cancellation of registration, this support now extends to appeals to the Care Standards Tribunal against Notices of Decision – at a fraction of the cost of solicitors and QCs.

This is a research-based consultancy, constantly keeping abreast of changes in inspection methodology.  There is (and always will be) an ongoing survey of inspection reports, looking for evolving attitudes to compliance, and even the most minor findings that are deemed non-compliant or requiring improvement.

Call or email Richard Fairburn to set up a preliminary consultation, with no charge and no obligation.  Specific advice cannot be offered at this stage, but the call will be able to establish if and how the Consultancy can provide the support needed.  Communications are remote only at the present time, and a Zoom meeting is recommended as a frst step.