On the 24th October 2025, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) published its latest report on the State of Care in England, which highlights areas of good quality practice and points of concern that require improvements within the health and social care system.
Read More »CQC State of Care in England Report, October 2025
This week, the Supreme Court (UKSC/2025/0042) is considering a submission by the Attorney General for Northern Ireland, addressing the following issue: Does the Minister of… Read More »Cheshire West: back in the courts
In October 2024, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) published its latest report on ‘The state of health care and adult social care in England 2023/24’.… Read More »Highlights from the CQC report on the state of health care and adult social care in England 2023/24
NHS Digital has published DoLS statistics for the period April 2023 to March 2024. Sadly, the data is not surprising, with ongoing backlogs and delays… Read More »DoLS statistics: 2023-24
Age UK has published a report expressing concerns about the way Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards is being enacted in England and Wales. The report calls… Read More »Age UK report: Older people and DoL in care homes
Under Article 5 of the Human Rights Act, every person has the right to liberty and security. However, there are certain circumstances in which it may be necessary to deprive/restrict someone of their liberty in order to protect them should they not have the capacity to consent to their treatment or care at a specific placement.
Read More »Community DoLS (c-DoLS)
The Code of Practice for DoLS (2008) directs that wherever possible, DoLS authorisations should be applied for in advance of a hospital or care home admission, in order to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place from day one. As such, a DoLS application should really be made at the point where the individual is assessed prior to admittance, in order that the application be processed in time.
Read More »The six key assessments for DoLS
The role and responsibilities of the Supervisory Body are outlined in the Code of Practice for DoLS (2008). In England the SB is most commonly the Local Authority, but could also be the Primary Care Trust. Meanwhile in Wales the SB will be either the Local Health Board or Welsh Ministers.
Read More »DoLS in focus: The role of the Supervisory Body (SB)
Under DoLS, the Managing Authority (MA) is the nursing/care home or hospital providing (or going to provide) care and treatment for the relevant person. The responsibilities of the MA are outlined within the Code of Practice for DoLS (2008) and expanded on through Court of Protection (CoP) case law.
These documents require that the Managing Authority carry out its responsibilities with due care and diligence, with appropriate consultation. All decisions and actions taken should be fully documented as part of professional best practice.
Read More »DoLS in focus: The role of the Managing Authority (MA)
Legal terminology can often be confusing and hard to understand. In this blog, we explain some of the key terms and roles related to the… Read More »Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS): key terms and roles