Over the past few years, maternity units across England have been investigated due to concerns over failing care and poor patient safety. This has resulted in Donna Ockenden, a British midwife and community activist, undertaking independent reviews across various Trusts, to provide families with answers and aim for improvement in outcomes for both babies and mothers.   

2024 saw some of the biggest changes in housing law in decades, and 2025 will see many of those changes come into force.

This month the ICO published its key statistics for 2024, reporting 36,049 completed data protection complaints and 179 completed investigations. In total they issued fines totalling £1,270,000. The level of complaints is higher than those reported in its annual report for 2022/23 (around 35,000). This insight considers the role of the ICO, the potential implications of a data protection complaint and what you can do to help avoid one.

The recent BBC News report highlights a troubling situation where several elderly individuals had their bank accounts locked and cash withdrawn after granting power of attorney to a law firm partner. This situation underscores the importance of establishing trust, ensuring transparency, and adhering to strict ethical guidelines when managing the financial affairs of vulnerable individuals.

Today marks the final day of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (25th November – 10th December), a global movement to raise awareness about gender-based violence. Since its inception in 1991, this annual campaign has united people worldwide to challenge harmful attitudes and advocate for better laws and services to eliminate violence against women and girls.

When it comes to planning for the future of your business, one important consideration is what will happen to your company when you pass away. If you're a sole director and shareholder, your death could leave your company in a state of limbo, unable to make decisions or continue operations. Without provisions in place, the company may face significant challenges, such as an inability to update the register of members or appoint a new director. This could lead to a halt in business operations and financial difficulties.

In a previous Insight we outlined the case of Carry Keats’ estate and whether a partial but not complete tearing of the will document could be enough to revoke the will by destructions.

The Intestacy Rules apply to both spouses and civil partners in the same way and they are top priority. However, where a marriage or civil partnership has been dissolved by a legally recognised decree or there is ongoing judicial separation, the surviving spouse/civil partner is no longer entitled to inherit under the Intestacy Rules.

The immediate impact of the Chancellor’s Autumn Budget still continues to be felt, with the protests in London on Tuesday 19 November likely to be the first in the active campaigning against the measures. Many across the country, whether farmers or business-owners, are deeply concerned about the proposals to cap 100% relief for Agricultural Property Relief (‘APR’) and Business Property Relief (‘BPR’) together at £1 million per person.

When purchasing a property as a couple, whether that be unmarried or married, you are required to tick a box on the Transfer Deed indicating how you wish to own the property. This is known as the ‘Declaration of Trust’ box. Many couples opt to hold their property as joint tenants. This means they each hold an equal share in the property.

When a loved one dies, it can be distressing to learn that their Will did not sufficiently provide for you. These situations can often be complicated due to the size of the estate, the nature of the gift, or whether the person died intestate (without a Will).

In support of the Stop The Pressure campaign, we're helping to raise awareness of pressure injuries, in the hope of reducing the number of avoidable pressure wounds. In the UK, over 700,000 people are affected by pressure ulcers each year. Of these, 180,000 are newly acquired, 60% of which occur in people over the age of 70. We shine some light on the issue in our latest insight.