The Mental Capacity Act – Essentials for Frontline Staff

Basic Description of Course

The Mental Capacity Act (MCA) is a vital piece of healthcare legislation, governing decision-making on behalf of adults who may not be able to make decisions for themselves. Everyone working with or caring for adults who may lack capacity to make decisions must comply with the MCA and its Code of Practice. However, all too often, health and social care staff are unsure of how the Act works in practice – they lack the confidence to carry out mental capacity assessments and are unfamiliar with how to make best interests decisions.

This course will give a complete overview and explanation of key parts of the MCA. It will cover the key principles of the MCA, explain in practical terms how to conduct a capacity assessment and describe how best interests decisions should be made. It will also cover the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards, and touch upon what changes are likely to be brought about when the Liberty Protection Safeguards (LPS) are introduced.

This is an essential course for all health and social care staff working with adults who may lack the capacity to make decisions for themselves, and will also help prepare them for when the LPS comes into force.

Course Objectives

• Understand the key principles of the MCA
• How to undertake capacity assessments and the test for “lack of capacity”
• How to implement best interests decision making
• Record keeping
• Advance care planning and advance decisions
• Restraint under the MCA, and the limits to this
• When does restraint turn into a deprivation of liberty?
• How are deprivations of liberty authorised?
• An overview of the LPS – key provisions and changes that will be introduced

Course Timetable