Category: quality assurance

QASA: time to move on – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

Posted February 5th, 2014 in advocacy, barristers, judicial review, news, quality assurance by sally

‘“It is a critical test of the freedom inherent in our democratic society that those accused (usually by the State) of committing criminal offences can and should be represented by capable criminal advocates…”

So opens the judgment, which was handed down last month by Lord Justice Leveson, in the judicial review of the Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates (QASA). QASA, it ruled, “is lawful, does not contravene European law and falls well within the legitimate exercise of the powers of the LSB and the three regulators that submitted it to the LSB for approval”.’

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Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 4th February 2014

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

High Court refuses permission to appeal QASA ruling and makes maximum costs order – Legal Futures

Posted February 4th, 2014 in appeals, barristers, costs, news, quality assurance by sally

‘The High Court has today refused permission to appeal against the recent ruling on the Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates (QASA).’

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Legal Futures, 4th February 2014

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Mental Health Act detentions up 12% – BBC News

Posted January 29th, 2014 in detention, hospitals, mental health, news, quality assurance, standards, statistics by sally

‘The number of people in England being detained under the Mental Health Act has risen by 12% in the past five years, according to the NHS regulator.’

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BBC News, 28th January 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Statement by the Joint Advocacy Group on changes to the Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates (QASA) – Bar Standards Board

Posted January 27th, 2014 in advocacy, barristers, news, quality assurance by sally

‘Following the handing down of the judgment on Monday 20 January 2014, the Bar Standards Board, the Solicitors Regulation Authority and ILEX Professional Standards, have discussed the practical consequences of the outcome. In particular, they have considered whether a revision to the current registration timetable is required and the recommendations to amend the Scheme outlined in the judgment.’

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Bar Standards Board, 27th January 2014

Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk

Launch of the Bar Standards Board handbook; challenges and opportunities – Attorney General’s Office

Posted January 23rd, 2014 in alternative business structures, barristers, legal aid, legal profession, news, quality assurance, speeches by sally

‘Attorney General Dominic Grieve QC MP keynote speech at the launch of new Bar Standards Board handbook.’

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Attorney General’s Office,

Source: www.gov.uk/ago

Attorney General “warned LSB about regulatory creep” but indicates no roll-back of Clementi – Legal Futures

Posted January 23rd, 2014 in attorney general, legal profession, Legal Services Board, news, quality assurance, speeches by sally

‘The Attorney General has warned about the “danger” of regulators micro-managing the legal profession, but also indicated that the government is unlikely to roll back the Clementi reforms that led to the creation of independent regulators.’

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Legal Futures, 23rd January 2014

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Barristers vow to boycott QASA despite High Court defeat – Legal Futures

Posted January 22nd, 2014 in advocacy, barristers, judicial review, news, quality assurance by sally

‘Monday’s failed judicial review of the Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates (QASA) has done little to quell the mutiny among criminal law barristers, even though the Bar Standards Board has called on them to “respect the court’s decision”.’

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Legal Futures, 22nd January 2014

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

QASA given green light by High Court as JR fails – Legal Futures

Posted January 20th, 2014 in advocacy, barristers, costs, judicial review, judiciary, Legal Services Board, news, quality assurance by sally

‘A judicial review of the Legal Services Board’s approval of the Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocacy (QASA) has today been comprehensively rejected by the High Court.’

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Legal Futures, 20th January 2014

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Hillcroft nursing home care workers jailed for abusing elderly residents – The Guardian

Posted January 13th, 2014 in care homes, care workers, complaints, elderly, news, professional conduct, quality assurance, sentencing by tracey

‘Three nursing home staff have been jailed and a fourth given a community sentence for tormenting and abusing elderly residents with dementia, actions described by the trial judge as “gratuitous sport at the expense of vulnerable victims”.’

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The Guardian, 10th January 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

‘Maggot-infested’ GP surgeries exposed by inspectors – BBC News

Posted December 12th, 2013 in doctors, health, news, quality assurance by sally

‘The first national inspection of more than 900 GP surgeries in England has found one in three is failing to meet basic standards.’

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BBC News, 12th December 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

NEW series: “The advocate, the regulator, the TV maker and the client” – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

Posted November 29th, 2013 in advocacy, media, news, quality assurance by sally

“Advocacy is a skill that exposes truth or lies in the court process. It is a forensic challenge that doesn’t depend on the colour of the advocate’s lipstick or the lining of Queen’s Counsel’s suit, but on ability.”

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Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 28th November 2013

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

CQC report says hospital care has not improved since Mid Staffs scandal – The Guardian

Posted November 22nd, 2013 in elderly, health, hospitals, news, quality assurance, reports by tracey

‘Hospitals have made no improvement in patient safety or treating the ill with dignity and respect despite the concerns triggered by the Mid Staffordshire scandal, according to the independent healthcare regulator. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) also found no improvement in hospitals monitoring and assessment of the quality of care they are providing.’

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The Guardian, 21st November 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

New Chambers supervision strategy launched – Bar Standards Board

Posted November 5th, 2013 in barristers, complaints, news, pupillage, quality assurance by sally

“From January 2014, all Chambers will be required to participate in new supervision arrangements, set out by the Bar Standards Board (BSB) today.”

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Bar Standards Board, 5th November 2013

Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk

Attorney General urges barristers to think again over QASA boycott and returning legal aid briefs – Legal Futures

Posted November 4th, 2013 in advocacy, barristers, news, quality assurance by sally

“The Attorney General has urged barristers not to boycott the controversial Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates (QASA), and warned that if they refuse instructions they have already accepted in protest at the new legal aid rates, the government may ‘look elsewhere’.”

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Legal Futures, 4th November 2013

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

QASA claimants lose bid to cut costs exposure – Legal Futures

Posted October 31st, 2013 in barristers, costs, news, protective costs orders, quality assurance by michael

“Mr Justice Bean refused to amend the protective costs order (PCO) granted earlier this month by Mr Justice Ouseley, which at £150,000 was 10 times greater than that the four claimants – who are supported by the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) – had sought.”

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Legal Futures, 31st October 2013

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

NHS complaints review set to report – BBC News

Posted October 28th, 2013 in codes of practice, complaints, delay, hospitals, inquiries, news, quality assurance, reports, standards by sally

“A government-backed review into how the NHS in England handles complaints is set to publish its conclusions later.”

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BBC News, 28th October 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Society backs challenge to advocacy quality scheme – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted October 24th, 2013 in barristers, judicial review, Law Society, news, quality assurance by tracey

“The Law Society was today granted permission to intervene in the judicial review of the Legal Services Board’s approval of the Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates.”

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Law Society’s Gazette, 23rd October 2013

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Ofsted fairness standards graded inadequate – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

Posted October 21st, 2013 in complaints, freedom of information, human rights, injunctions, judicial review, news, ombudsmen, oral hearings, quality assurance, school children, standards by sally

“The Care Quality Commission has made headlines recently with the focus on inadequacies in its processes as a regulator and its failure to spot sub-standard and even dangerous levels of care. Its fellow regulator Ofsted, however, is more likely to be accused of being over – rather than under – zealous, but its approach has been subject to far less scrutiny.”

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Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 18th October 2013

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

BSB issues statement after Twitter confusion over judicial review costs – The Lawyer

Posted October 14th, 2013 in advocacy, barristers, costs, internet, judicial review, Legal Services Board, news, protective costs orders, public interest, quality assurance by sally

“The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has issued a statement about the costs of a judicial review into the Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates (QASA) following widespread outrage and confusion on Twitter.”

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The Lawyer, 11th October 2013

Source: www.thelawyer.com

Related link: Bar Standards Board Statement on costs and the judicial review of QASA

QASA claimants granted costs cap – but at 10 times the level they wanted – Legal Futures

Posted October 10th, 2013 in barristers, judicial review, Legal Services Board, news, protective costs orders, quality assurance by tracey

“The High Court has capped the costs exposure of the four barristers bringing a judicial review against the Legal Services Board (LSB) over the Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates (QASA) – but at a level 10 times the one they had proposed.”

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Legal Futures. 10th October 2013

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk