Mental Capacity

New Mental Capacity Act Guidance 2020

Mike Lyne
9th May 2020

The National Centre for Cross Disciplinary Social Work has produced a series of brief guides to help all health and social care professionals navigate through and apply the principles of the Mental Capacity Act for decisions regarding treatment and care , during the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond.

The set of four guides from the NCCDSW covers the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act for individuals who, either do not have or have reduced capacity to consent to decisions regarding their treatment and care.

It also includes information around Advanced Decisions to Refuse Treatment (sometimes referred to as living wills) reminding all clinicians that advanced decision- making should be done with the person fully engaged in the process and not to the person, or for the person.

The guides have been distributed by NHS England to all primary care and acute hospitals and will also support care and decision-making in nursing and care homes.

They should each be read in conjunction with the other guides in the series.

Meet the author(s)

Mike Lyne

Senior Lecturer in mental health social work
Michael Lyne is a senior lecturer in social work and mental health at Bournemouth University. He has a dual qualification and registration in nursing and social work, with 15 years of experience in the NHS and various client groups. He is an expert in mental capacity, adult safeguarding, and advance care planning.
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