This year Stop Adult Abuse Week will be focusing on the Mental Capacity Act (2005), which came in to force in 2007 followed by an amendment that introduced the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards from 2009
Introduction to the Mental Capacity Act
What is it?
The Mental Capacity Act (MCA) is designed to protect and empower people who may lack the mental capacity to make their own decisions about their care and treatment. It applies to people aged 16 and over.
It covers decisions about day-to-day things like what to wear or what to buy for the weekly shop, or serious life-changing decisions like whether to move into a care home or have major surgery.
Examples of people who may lack capacity include those with:
- dementia
- a severe learning disability
- a brain injury
- a mental health illness
- a stroke
- unconsciousness caused by an anaesthetic or sudden accident
However, just because a person has one of these health conditions it doesn’t necessarily mean they lack the capacity to make a specific decision.
Someone can lack capacity to make some decisions (for example, to decide on complex financial issues) but still have the capacity to make other decisions (for example, to decide what items to buy at the local shop).
https://www.scie.org.uk/mca/introduction/mental-capacity-act-2005-at-a-glance