Social care


The sector is diverse and complex. Whether you’re a care home operator or owner requiring support on operational issues or an investor seeking to acquire a provider, we can help.

Working together, our multi-disciplinary team of lawyers can help you optimise the long-term growth potential that care homes, retirement living, assisted living, learning disability and mental health, supported living offers and children's education by navigating the challenges and de-risking your investment.

We listen to your problems and commercial goals offering pragmatic, practical advice based on our deep sector knowledge and the experts in our health and care team.

Our energetic, open and focused approach to your matters means we deliver clear solutions and risk analysis to enable you to maximise the opportunities.

Our experience

Our experience is extensive and includes:

  • Completing a US financial investor’s due diligence process for the possible acquisition of one of the UK’s largest social care providers

  • Dealing with complex sales in the residential care home space

  • Helping clients with the acquisition of sites suitable for retirement home villages

  • Supporting a care provider on its expansion into the retirement care sector with the purchase of sites pursuant to options and conditional contracts

  • Completing on a major refinancing of a portfolio of care homes owned by a REIT, involving negotiating all finance documentation, property due diligence and managing the closing process across the UK and Gibraltar

  • Advising on CQC, regulatory and safeguarding matters

  • Supporting on new build schemes involving the acquisition of multiple sites for retirement apartments, including leisure complex, restaurant and communal facilities

  • Acquiring various portfolios of nursing home properties around the UK with purchases neatly structured with a simultaneous lease back of the nursing home to the original owner/operating company

Did you know?

120+

Over 120 of our lawyers spend 20% or more of their time working for health and care sector clients.

Major refinancing

We acted on the major refinancing of a portfolio of care homes.

Independent sector mental health operator

Acting on 17 acquisitions of residential and specialist care businesses.

Supporting our clients

We run bespoke training sessions and ‘surgery’ events for clients. Sessions are planned to fit your needs and give your team an opportunity both to learn and to deal with their current issues. We also partner with industry voices, including HealthInvestor UK to deliver training.

Regulation: Care Quality Commission

Our lawyers deliver CQC regulation advice and support to keep your organisation compliant and performing safely. If something does go wrong, we keep you in control.

Find out more

Our lawyers

The team consists of lawyers from our employment, banking, tax, corporate, commercial, real estate and healthcare regulatory teams. If things become tough, our insolvency and restructuring experts are on hand.

What our clients say about us

“Prepared, professional and pro-active - Mills & Reeve have provided an excellent service throughout.”

Martin Farrow, Former CEO

Sussex Healthcare

“They are absolutely top notch. They have a breadth of knowledge and a number of people available in any discipline.”

Chambers and Partners UK

“Mills & Reeve is a full capacity firm giving superb legal advice in all healthcare departments.”

Legal 500

Our expertise

Commissioning, contracts and procurement
Governance and partnerships
Health and care inquests
Health and care: M&A and other corporate transactions
Health and care real estate and capital projects
Health tech
Independent sector health and care
Mental capacity
Mental health
NHS digital transformation
Policy, public law and disputes
Primary care
Public inquiries and investigations
Social care
Women's health and technology (femtech)
Employment - health and care
Health and care regulation

Get in touch

Our team of legal experts are here to support you.
Contact one of our lawyers today.

Contact us

Meet our social care team

Health and Care Hub

Our unique online resource for health and care clients working in the public and independent sectors.
Visit the hub

In-house in Focus hub

Our hub includes a range of resources to provide answers and guidance on a variety of legal issues specifically for in-house counsel.
In-house in Focus

Related sectors & services

Inquests Beds and living Finance Regulatory Corporate tax Health and care Information law, data protection and privacy Insurance Private wealth Real estate Real estate investment Restructuring and insolvency Technology