Change that leads to better lives

Support to Implement the Mental Capacity Act

The Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) places the individual at the heart of the decision making process and has the potential to improve the lives of many people, but the implementation of the act has been hampered by a lack of awareness and understanding, and for many it appears as an optional add-on when it should be central to practice.

What NDTi can offer:
NDTi has worked with local areas to improve implementation of the MCA and can offer tailored support including bespoke training to providers and commissioners.

Resources:
As part of our work to support the implementation of the MCA, we talked to people who use services and families about what would be helpful for them. They identified the need for short case studies or scenarios to aid understanding of how decisions will (or could) be made if someone lacks capacity to make those decisions. They observed that people often assume that professionals will simply ‘do the right thing’, and that people are deterred from planning ahead by the perceived complexity and costs. As a result we developed a range of short examples to illustrate different scenarios, bringing the MCA principles to life. These could be used in a variety of circumstances (e.g. by advocacy and carers’ organisations, patient and carer groups, primary care, community health services, hospitals), and are free to download from the link on hte right of this page, where you can also download information for staff in education, health and social care working with young people (age 14+) about the Mental Capacity Act and things to think about with young people and families.

Useful Info

Feedback from previous attendees:

"Really made a complex area clear"

"Gave clear legal background and opportunity to explore relevant examples"

"I now understand how to challenge ideas and assumptions of capacity"

"I feel more able to support my team when any issues or challenges arise"

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