BHO -v- Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (order)

Administrative CourtHigh CourtKing's Bench DivisionAnonymity OrderOrder

Case number: AC-2025-LON-000462

In the High Court of Justice
King’s Bench Division
Administrative Court

In the matter of an application for judicial review

23 June 2025

Before:

The Honourable Mr Justice Swift

Between:

The King
on the application of
BHO

-v-

(1) Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
(2) North-West Anglia NHS Trust

Order

Notification of Judge’s Decision (CPR 54.11, 54.12)

Following consideration of the documents filed by the Claimant and by the Defendants

ORDER by the Honourable Mr Justice Swift

  1. The application for permission to apply for judicial review is granted.
  2. The Claimant’s application (Application Notice dated 14 March 2025) for permission to file a Reply exceeding 5pp. is granted.
  3. The Claimant shall be referred to in these proceedings as BHO. Pursuant to CPR 39.2(4), s. 6 Human Rights Act 1998, and s. 11 Contempt of Court Act 1981, and there shall be no publication of the identity of the Claimant as a party to these proceedings, or of any matter likely to lead to the identification of the Claimant as a party to these proceedings in any report of, or otherwise in connection with, these proceedings.

Observations

  1. The claim is arguable and should be considered at a final hearing.
  2. The application in respect of the Reply was not opposed.
  3. It is appropriate to make the order for anonymity that the Claimant has requested.

Case Management Directions

(a) Each Defendant and/or the interested Party must, within 35 days of the date of service of this Order, file and serve any (i) Detailed Grounds for contesting the claim or supporting it on additional grounds and (ii) any written evidence to be relied on.

(b) The Defendants and/or the Interested Party may comply with sub-paragraph (a)(i) above by filing and serving a document which states that its Summary Grounds are to stand as the Detailed Grounds required by CPR 54.14.

(c) Any application by the Claimant to serve evidence in reply must be filed and served, together with a copy of that evidence, within 21 days of the date on which the Defendant serves evidence pursuant to (a) above.

(d) The parties must agree the contents of the hearing bundle. An electronic version of the bundle must be prepared and lodged, in accordance with the Administrative Court Judicial Review Guide Chapter 21 and the Guidance on the Administrative Court website, not less than 28 days before the date of the substantive hearing. The parties must, if requested by the Court, lodge 2 hard- copy versions of the hearing bundle.

(e) The Claimant must file and serve a Skeleton Argument (maximum 25 pages), complying with CPR 54 PD para. 15 and the Administrative Court Judicial Review Guide paras 20.1 to 20.3, not less than 21 days before the date of the substantive hearing.

(f) Each Defendant and the interested Party must file and serve any Skeleton Argument (maximum 25 pages), complying with CPR 54 PD para. 15 and the Administrative Court Judicial Review Guide paras 20.1 to 20.3, not less than 14 days before the date of the substantive hearing.

(g) The parties must agree the contents of a bundle containing the authorities to be referred to at the hearing. An electronic version of the bundle must be prepared in accordance with the Guidance on the Administrative Court website. The parties must, if requested by the Court, prepare a hard-copy version of the authorities bundle. The electronic version of the bundle and if requested, the hard copy version of the bundle, must be lodged with the Court not less than 7 days before the date of the substantive hearing.

(h) The time estimate for the substantive hearing is 1 day. If either party considers that this time estimate should be varied, they must inform the court as soon as possible.

Case NOT suitable for hearing by a Deputy High Court Judge X

Case to be referred to Judge in Charge for allocation X

Signed: Swift J

Date: 23 June 2025