A strong pipeline and a growing team of highly experienced practitioners sets up real momentum for 2026
Weightmans has welcomed over 200 new healthcare clients over 2025, driven by significant transactional work, team and service expansion across primary care, dental services and the care sector.
Notable deals include the firm advising Well Pharmacy on 57 pharmacy disposals in 2025, adding to the 60 disposals handled in 2024. The firm provided strategic legal support as Well accelerated its M&A strategy while maintaining vital NHS primary care services across the country.
In the care sector, following on from its work on the Care UK deal in 2024, Weightmans advised a US west coast global investment firm on its acquisition of a strategic stake in a leading UK care business.
Rounding off a busy year, the firm also advised on the sale of Cumbrian care provider, Hometrust Care, to its management and employees via an Employee Ownership Trust. This is one of the first care home EOT sales in the UK and has garnered a good amount of interest in the media and the sector as an alternative exit model for family-owned/mid-size care home businesses, and likely will remain a possible exit route worth considering, even with the recent Budget changes.
Alongside this transactional activity, the firm’s medical malpractice claims team supported brokers, insurers, care providers and healthcare professionals in navigating an evolving risk and policy landscape, advising on informed consent issues and cost-driven organisational change while helping clients maintain and improve performance.
The firm also collaborated with East Midlands Alliance – a body made up of the six largest public and private sector providers of mental health, learning disability and autism services in the region – to deliver a bespoke training program.
To support this casework, Weightmans’ health practice grew once again, welcoming senior hires across clinical negligence, healthcare litigation and healthcare pensions, including partners Jessica Neary, Damian Whitlam, Neil Bhan, and most recently, Julie Ford, ex-DWF and a recognised expert in the health sector, acting for NHS Trusts and private healthcare providers. Angela Kirtley, a health sector partner, was also appointed as Newcastle's new Regional Office Head. The firm has also continued to raise its health profile in the Nottingham and East Midlands region, led by principal associate Charlie Mawdesley, with further investment in the team including the upcoming arrival of associate Lynette Wieland, who joins in February.
The firm also strengthened its service offering through the launch of Remedy, a market-leading complaints handling solution that works alongside healthcare clients to improve response times, identify safety and learning challenges and reduce complaint numbers.
On health policy matters, Weightmans continues to be at the forefront of key legislative developments. Kirsty Stuart, principal associate at the firm, represented the Law Society, giving evidence in the House of Lords on the generationally important Terminally Ill (End of Life) Adults Bill (aka the Assisted Dying Bill). In addition, as a member of the Law and Ethics Policy Unit of the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine, Ben Troke was invited to join the working group of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges in updating its 2008 guidance on the diagnosis and confirmation of death, and in particular the definition of brain stem death.
This policy insight was complimented by the firm’s leading public law and inquiries practice, with Weightmans acting for Core Participants across the Manchester Arena, Infected Blood and Thirlwall inquiries – the only firm to do so across all three – as well as advising clients on other major health-related public inquiries.
The health regulatory and employment teams also collaborated to help the firm’s clients navigate their way through the ups, downs, harpin turns and u-turns of the government’s change agenda. This included policy requirements to deliver wholesale organisational change and huge costs savings whilst simultaneously improving performance.
Richard Jolly, partner and head of health at Weightmans, said: "2025 has been transformational for healthcare. The launch of the government's 10-year plan, the Mental Health Bill receiving Royal Assent, and the Assisted Dying Bill progressing through parliament have all signalled major legislative change – set against the backdrop of a strained NHS and underfunded care sector. As the landscape becomes increasingly complex and challenging, it's essential that advisors like us respond by expanding our teams and deepening our offering.
"The success we've seen in transactions this year gives us real momentum heading into 2026. We're continuing to grow our team with highly experienced practitioners and expand our service offering. We're looking forward to supporting even more clients through the challenges ahead.”
Weightmans health team now comprises of over 150 specialist health and social care lawyers. The team, uniquely, includes qualified doctors, nurses and other health professionals who bring frontline medical expertise alongside legal knowledge, providing clients with genuine insight into operational pressures facing the sector.
The team’s expertise continues to be recognised through finalist nominations at the GP Awards 2025 and Dental Industry Awards 2025, alongside winning Legal Advisor of the Year at the LaingBuisson Awards 2025.
