LEGO has launched a new kit designed to help ease children’s anxieties around using an MRI scanner. This fantastic toy helps bridge the gap in understanding around what is going to happen, putting the process of an MRI scan in terms that a child can understand, facilitating their comprehension and thereby reducing anxiety around the whole process.
Read More »Using LEGO to support capacity and enable informed consent
At its most basic level, ‘understanding’ refers to ‘comprehension’ or ‘insight’ – the ability to apply knowledge to a specific topic or situation. However, in terms of the criteria for Mental Capacity Assessments, these definitions are perhaps a little broad. This is because when we test for capacity, we are not looking for an in-depth understanding of a specific topic, but rather an ability to ‘grasp’ the concept within the context of the individual’s own situation.
Read More »What is ‘understanding’?
The Mental Capacity Act (2005) is built around five key principles. To ensure best practice, it is useful to attach a copy of the five principles to any Mental Capacity Assessment, to be reviewed prior to the assessment in order to ensure the assessment is only completed if necessary and that appropriate support is put in place, while also respecting the individual and their Rights
Read More »Five key principles of the Mental Capacity Act
We are excited to announce the first dates for our new webinar series designed to raise awareness, strengthen skills and build confidence in applying the Mental Capacity Act (2005) in health and care settings. Each 3-hour session will look at the Mental Capacity Act as a whole including how to assess, what questions to ask, Best Interest decisions and the forthcoming Liberty Protection Safeguards (LPS).
Read More »New Mental Capacity webinars for 2022
There are many different forms of communication, both verbal and non-verbal in nature. While many of us will take communication for granted, others need a little more support. Thankfully there are a range of relatively low-tech aids available to support those with complex communication needs. These include Makaton, PECS and Talking Mats – all of which are put to good use across education and healthcare settings to promote inclusion and person-centred care.
Read More »Supporting capacity with augmentative communication aids
There is a range of information available online to support matters surrounding the Mental Capacity Act (2005). Many of these resources are free to access and also include accessible guides for those we work alongside. In this blog, we share some of our favourite resources with you to explore.
Read More »Free resources for the Mental Capacity Act
The idea for Mental Capacity Ltd started one day when my brother Mike was visiting me in at my home in the South East, and we got chatting about my work as a mental capacity assessor and advocate.
During our chats, we started to talk about some of the frustrations I was experiencing with my work, and the poor practice I was encountering on an almost daily basis. Examples included wrongly applied DNAR orders, care plans that unduly restrained users in their wheelchairs, and the unlawful application of Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS), particularly within the private sector as well as lack of application in main stream hospital wards.
Read More »Mental Capacity Ltd: Where it all began
Communication is an absolutely vital part of the Mental Capacity Act (2005). If we are to support capacity effectively then we should do everything in our power to ensure good, effective communication that is adapted to the needs of the service user. This may mean taking extra measures to aid the process of communication, to consider environmental and/or external factors, and also to make allowances for any fluctuations in an individual’s ability to understand.
Read More »Communication to support capacity
It has been a trying few years for everyone with the impact of Covid and related restrictions. During this time, I have been privileged to see some incredible person-centred care. For example, one of the homes I have worked with went above and beyond to ensure that an isolating gentleman with learning disabilities, who had tested positive, had a staff member at his door throughout the day to engage with him and give him someone to talk to. They also supported him by doing activities at a distance and he had thrice-daily supported access to the gardens to get fresh air and a change of scene.
Read More »Covid ‘isolation’ or seclusion: Are we in breach of Human Rights?
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has recently found that over 1,000 people have been unlawfully deprived of liberty due to DoLS application delays by Cheshire East Council. One case in particular was delayed by more than six years.
Read More »DoLS delays: Impact on practice