Video introductions and overviews of the Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty
Playlist
Essential Reading
- Mental Capacity Guidance Note: Assessment and Recording of Capacity or The ‘Capacity Guide’
- Relevant information for different categories of decision and
- A brief guide Best Interest Assessments
- If you are a care provider service we would recommend the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and DoLS | SCIE resources.
- You should also have reference to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (legislation.gov.uk)
We would like to thank James Codling (MCA/DoLS Learning and Development Team) of Cambridgeshire County Council, who has written these document and identified the resources contained within it.
Mental Capacity Act Toolkit
An MCA toolkit has also been launched from Bournemouth University, in October 2021, created with the Burdett Trust for Nurses.
It’s a free online learning tool to support nurses and other practitioners in their understanding and duties under the Human Rights Act and MCA. It is easy to use and helps you to think through the process in a structured way.
You can access it here:
There is also a Competency Framework also from Bournemouth University:
As part of the Mental Health & Justice project, a website has been launched with guidelines for clinicians and social workers in England & Wales (Gareth Owen / Alex Ruck Keene / Scott Kim / Kevin Ariyo). It includes things like:
- Capacity guide | Guidance for clinicians & social workers on the assessment of capacity
- Capacity Guide: Practical legal guidelines
This has been recently updated to include a tool developed by James Codling (MCA/DoLS Learning and Development Team) of Cambridgeshire County Council, for recording informal mental capacity assessments which can be found here.
Using the Mental Capacity Act in the Community
This video created by Hounslow and Richmond Community Healthcare NHS Trust shows how the MCA can be used in practice – it is designed for health and social care colleagues but the principles are the same for all of us. The video shows some particular decisions to be made and how different factors change the approach of the person assessing capacity, and the outcomes; it includes examples of how to record your assessment too.
It is 28 mins long, is engaging and the scenarios are clear and well acted by H&RCH staff, service users and family carers.
Identifying and addressing cognitive impairment in dependent drinkers
Alcohol Change UK have published a series of webinars as part of their Cognitive Impairment in Dependent Drinkers Project and are relevant to anyone who encounters dependent drinkers in their work. The Blue Light Approach: Identifying and addressing cognitive impairment in dependent drinkers | Alcohol Change UK
