The purpose of this paper is to provide an introduction to The Mental Capacity Act, 2005 will come into force in England and Wales in April 2007.
Provides an overview of the changes that will occur when the Act comes into force.
Preparations are already underway, but as yet there has been no centralised support in the form of standardises templates and documentation to ensure consistency across the NHS. Delay in finalising a Code of Conduct to accompany the Act is also hampering efforts to complete preparations for compliance with the Act. Healthcare organisations have a great number of preparations to make and it is likely that many of them will not have been able to complete them before the Act comes into force.
The value of this paper is in drawing attention to the fact that a crucial aspect of the work ahead is to ensure that staff receive adequate and appropriate training. All healthcare professionals – and doctors in particular – should be familiar with, and understand, the key principles of the Act.
