Mental Capacity Act 2005

Practitioners working in a health and social care setting may from time to time become concerned about the wellbeing of someone in their care. When faced with this situation it is important that a practitioner needs to know if the person in their care is capable of making their own decisions. If they are not, then this might mean they need someone else to make decisions for them. This Mental Capacity Act 2005 training course explains how someone’s mental capacity can be assessed and how practitioners can help them make decisions that are in the best interest of the person in their care.

A person can lack mental capacity if they have an injury, illness or condition that affects the way their mind works. This could mean:

• they have difficulty making decisions some of the time
• they have difficulty making decisions all of the time
• they take them a long time to make a decision.

Mental Capacity Assessment

When learners have completed this Mental Capacity 2005 training course they will understand that someone's mental capacity should only be assessed at the time a decision needs to be made by them and that it is assumed at the beginning of the assessment that the person being assessed, does have the capacity to make the decision themselves. According to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 a solicitor is authorised to decide if a person is capable of making decisions about legal matters such as a will or lasting powers of attorney, however if they have any doubts about a person's mental capacity they should get advice from a doctor or mental health professional. If there is any disagreement about the person's mental capacity, then the Court of Protection will decide if the person has the mental capacity to make decisions.

The Mental Capacity Act 2005 course explains that any decision that a practitioner makes on behalf of someone who lacks mental capacity must be in that person's best interest. Legal provision for the above is explained in detail so that learners are aware of the mental capacity act guidelines involved in making a decision on behalf of someone who lacks capacity.

This online training course contains many additional learning assets and resources including the Mental Capacity Act 2005 code of practice. The course also includes interactive tests and quizzes to check learners understanding of the Mental Capacity Act. At the end of the course learners will complete a Mental Capacity Act assessment and on successful completion be issued with a certificate as evidence of their learning.