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Elderly lady walking outside arm in arm with nurse. Photo by Cristina Serí on Unsplash.

Mental Capacity Assessments: Where to start?

From talking to colleagues, team members from different settings and other professionals across the board about the topic of the Mental Capacity Act and its Assessment, one of the most common stumbling blocks reported appears to be – where to start with an assessment, closely followed by the contents of completed assessments. It can leave some people feeling really overwhelmed and unsure of themselves, while others are thriving at the challenge, identifying ways to establish a “standard” for their own working environment. 

Elderly gentleman and young man in red hat smiling and enjoying time together. Photo by Nathan Anderson on Unsplash.

Mental Capacity and consent

When I first started working in healthcare there was very little said about capacity yet there was a lot of emphasis said about consent, especially that of informed consent. Consent to treatment, consent to an intervention, consent to support with personal care, consent to speak to a family member, consent to take photos, consent to store information or share with the GP. The list is quite endless and is a staple of not just the health care system, but our society as a whole that has grown in importance over the years.