Andrew Good, previously a joint owner of Hull law firm Rapid Response, has been struck off after a High Court judgment concluded that he showed a “serious lack of integrity” for overcharging the NHS. Lord Justice Flaux overturned a previous ruling that saw Good fined £30,000 for misconduct and found that his behaivour had been “dishonest” and a breach of “public trust”.
NHS Resolution first reported its concerns about excessive charging behaviour to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) in 2013, after which an investigation was launched.
Mr Good was found by an SRA Tribunal to have established a policy of seeking to claim an hourly rate of £400 per hour together with a 100% success fee for the firm on clinical negligence cases. These bills were fiercely contested by NHS Resolution on behalf of the NHS and NHS Resolution simultaneously escalated the matter to the regulator to intervene.
We welcome the Court’s judgment. NHS Resolution will not hesitate to take action where it is confronted with dishonest behaviour. This is public money and Mr Good’s actions were an attempt on funds which should be used for patient care.
Helen Vernon, Chief Executive at NHS Resolution
You can read the full High Court judgment.
