Oliver Wright

Professional Profile

Oliver has acted in some of the largest and most important healthcare judicial review cases brought in the last few years.

Oliver’s practice involves challenging Primary Care Trust’s decisions not to fund drugs or treatment for patients. He is one of the only solicitors in England and Wales who regularly acts in this niche area of Judicial Review and as such is a true specialist in the field.

Oliver’s cases often involve important and novel points of Human Rights law. He has litigated cases in the High Court, Court of Appeal, Supreme Court and the European Court of Human Rights. He is often instructed in complex multi-party group actions and his cases often challenge the limits of the current law.

Oliver also has a particular interest in Inquest law, practically when there are human rights implications and has challenged Coroners’ decisions not to hold Human Rights Act compliant inquests in the Court of Appeal. He often conducts the inquests himself and is a respected advocate. Oliver has a special interest in acting for service personnel and their families.

Oliver also has an interest in regulatory work as well helping clients who have suffered serious physical and psychological injury.

Significant Cases

• The Mid Essex Radiotherapy Case
• The Queen on the Application of Prichard v H.M. Coroner of Oxfordshire and Another [2009] EWCA Civ 893 – Article 2 Human Rights Inquest case. Acting on behalf of Sergeant Prichard who was killed in Afghanistan in a drive-by shooting.
• Inquest into the Death of Lance Corporal Dyson (September 2009) Oliver acted for Mrs Dyson in a jury inquest into her husband’s death. For the first time it was established that exposure to depleted Uranium in the Gulf War was the principal course of death (featured in Inquest Law December 2009).
• The Queen on the Application of Williams and Others v Oxford PCT [2008] a case which led to an out-of-court settlement involving access to the renal cancer drug Sutent which led to a change in policy by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence.
• The Queen on the Application of Kent v West Sussex PCT [2010] successfully obtained an out-of-court settlement for Mrs Kent following on from the PCT’s refusal to provide revisional gastric band surgery.
• The Queen on the Application of NL (a Child) v Derby City PCT [2011] – obtained an out-of-court settlement on behalf of a 15 year old boy who suffers from a rare genetic disorder requiring ‘Kuvan’ following his PCT’s refusal to provide the drug.
• The Queen on the Application of Condliff v North Staffordshire PCT [20011] EWHC 872 Admin and The Queen on the Application of Condliff v North Staffordshire PCT [2011] EWCA 910 acting on behalf of Tom Condliff who challenged the PCT due to their refusal to fund life-saving gastric bypass surgery.
• Condliff v The United Kingdom – Continuing application to the European Court of Human Rights – how does Article 8 of the Human Rights Act applies to healthcare commissioning in relation to non-clinical social factors.

Press

Oliver and his cases regularly appear on the television news (BBC, ITN, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Sky News) as well in national newspapers, local news and weekly glossy magazines. He is often asked to comment on healthcare law matters for Radio 4’s ‘Today Program’ and ‘PM’ program as well as BBC news.

An article written by Oliver Wright an expert in judicial review and human rights is featured in the November/December addition of Primary Care Today Magazine. Follow this link to read the article

Career History Timeline

• Linder Myers LLP – Training Contract
• McCool Patterson Hemsi Solicitors – Solicitor
• Lewis Hymanson Small Solicitors LLP – Solicitor