Bournemouth University (BU) has developed a free Mental Capacity Toolkit to support social care professionals working with individuals whose decision-making process has been impaired by, for example, dementia.
The toolkit has been developed to enable legal, ethical, and informed practice and to ensure that care givers are confident in their understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. The toolkit is aimed at fulfilling the need for an accessible solution that will enable carers to make informed decisions about everyday choices for their patients.
The toolkit has been accessed by approximately 14,000 professionals to date. It presents sections of the 2005 Act, including those on decision making and assessment of capacity, alongside interactive elemtns such as quizzes and videos.
Bournemouth University’s Professor Lee-Ann Fenge said: “We all take making decisions for granted but if you have cognitive problems, for example caused by dementia, then someone else might have to make a decision for you. These decisions can range from choosing what to have for breakfast, to selling a property.
“Making decisions on behalf of another person can be really difficult which is why we developed this toolkit to ensure healthcare workers can do so professionally and ethically, which is the top priority when working with vulnerable patients.”
The Mental Capacity Toolkit is free for health and social care professionals and for friends or family who may have to make decisions on behalf of another person. It can be accessed at www.mentalcapacitytookit.co.uk.
