Louise Hartley 3

Louise Hartley

Year of Call: 2008
Email Address: [email protected]
Telephone: 020 7583 8055

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Clerks Details

  • Clerk Name: Gemma Faulkner
  • Clerk Telephone: 020 7583 8055
  • Clerk Email: [email protected]
  • Clerk Name: David Fielder
  • Clerk Telephone: 020 7583 8055
  • Clerk Email: [email protected]

Professional Discipline and Regulatory Law

Louise Hartley has a busy professional discipline practice, with particular focus on healthcare and education. She advises and represents professionals, organisations and regulators before a broad range of tribunals, including the General Dental Council, the Health and Care Professions Council, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (“NMC”), the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, the General Pharmaceutical Council and the Farriers Registration Council.

She appears before the First-tier Tribunal (Care Standards) in Ofsted and CQC appeals, and regularly advises and represents childcare and care providers facing suspension or cancellation of their registrations following serious allegations.

Louise has particular skill in managing cases involving large volumes of evidence and complex chronologies. Her four years at the NMC gave her a deep and practical understanding of how regulators operate, an insight that now informs her advocacy and advice whether she is acting for registrants or regulators.

Recent Cases

NMC v Richmond [2025] EWHC 1828: Louise successfully resisted the NMC's application in the High Court to extend an interim order restricting a registrant's practice. Following detailed written and oral submissions, the High Court refused the application, a rare outcome that generated significant discussion. This was the first successful application of the principles set out in NMC v Persand on the requirements for interim orders.

GDC v M: Louise acted for a dental surgeon facing loss of her registration following a significant number of driving convictions and allegations of dishonesty. The case required detailed written submissions on the criminal law applicable to the driving matters and a careful analysis of the authorities on dishonesty. Dishonesty was ultimately not found proved. The Committee determined that while the convictions amounted to misconduct, there was no current impairment.

NMC v D: A substantial and complex case involving serious allegations against a registered nurse who was also the registered provider of a nursing home. The charges spanned safeguarding concerns, deprivation of liberty, management of complex psychiatric presentations, discrimination and data protection. The substantive hearing ran for 20 days across 2025 and 2026. A number of charges were dismissed at half time, and a significant number were found not proved. The registrant avoided removal from the register.

NMC v L: Louise acted for a registered nurse and registered manager of an independent hospital for patients with autism spectrum disorders. The NMC's allegations included discrimination against a member of staff with a protected characteristic. Following detailed written and oral submissions, Louise successfully argued that there was no case to answer on all charges.

Farriers Registration Council v P: Louise represented a farrier charged with striking a horse with a hammer who faced a serious risk of erasure from the register. She secured a six-month suspension, allowing the registrant to retain his registration and his livelihood.

Ofsted & CQC Appeals

Louise has a substantial and well-developed practice representing childcare and care providers in the First-tier Tribunal (Care Standards). She acts regularly for childminders, nurseries, children's homes and care homes, challenging Ofsted and CQC suspension and cancellation decisions. Louise combines strategic clarity with genuine sensitivity, advising clients with confidence and pragmatism.

Louise has considerable experience of negotiating settlements outside the Tribunal, and where that is in a client's best interests, she will pursue this with the same rigour she brings to contested proceedings.

Safeguarding

Louise has a keen interest in safeguarding and has developed in-depth knowledge of this area across both the regulatory and sporting contexts. She understands the importance of approaching these matters with care, diligence and sensitivity.

She advises and represents clients in serious safeguarding matters before disciplinary and appeal panels, and is able to advise at all stages from investigation and charging through to hearings and appeals.

  • Recommendations

    "In her time as Head of Legal at Sport England Louise has given detailed, appropriate, expert and timely advice both to me and the organisation more widely. She has acted as lead advisor internally whilst also managing a consortia of legal firms providing additional expert views on specific areas of our work.

    In terms of focus areas, I would highlight Louise's commissioning and oversight of the Review into systematic abuse in Gymnastics led by Anne Whyte QC; advising at pace on regulatory and other contractual elements around the introduction of the Sport Survival Package during the CV19 pandemic; ensuring Sport England appropriately interprets its regulatory responsibilities and function in particular around complex complaints about National Governing Bodies of Sport; and advising on Sport England’s role in the development of the Sports Councils’ Guidance on Transgender Inclusion in Sport."

    Tim Hollingsworth, Chief Executive, Sport England

     

     

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