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Publication, Part of Quarterly analysis of Mental Capacity Act 2005, Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards Assessments
Quarterly analysis of Mental Capacity Act 2005, Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards Assessments - England, 2009-2010
Official statistics- Publication Date:
- 24 Jun 2010
- Geographic Coverage:
- England
- Geographical Granularity:
- Country, Strategic Health Authorities, Primary Care Organisations, Government Office Regions, Local Authorities
- Date Range:
- 01 Apr 2009 to 31 Mar 2010
Summary
Hospitals and care homes are making use of new measures designed to protect people unable to give consent for their care.
The Mental Capacity Act Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards were introduced by law on 1 April 2009 to provide a legal framework for depriving someone of their liberty where they are unable to give informed consent regarding their care. The statistics presented here provide the first official information about authorisations to legally detain a person using the legislation.
The safeguards apply to people aged 18 and above who suffer from a mental disorder of the mind (such as dementia or a profound learning disability) and who lack capacity to give consent to the arrangements made for their care and / or treatment. The safeguards cover people in all hospitals and care homes in the statutory, independent and voluntary sectors.
A rigorous, standardised assessment and authorisation process is used to ensure only appropriate use is made of the safeguards.
Highlights
- The number of authorisations completed was:
- 1,838 in quarter 4
- 1,772 in quarter 3
- 1,681 in quarter 2 and
- 1,869 in quarter 1.
- Of the total assessments completed in each quarter, a higher proportion were for females than for males.
- For each quarter, around three out of four assessments were made by local authorities while the remaining ones were made by primary care trusts.
- The percentage of authorisations granted leading to someone being deprived of their liberty varied between 33.5 per cent and 53.8 per cent across quarters 1 to 4.
- At 31 March 2010 1,137 people were subject to such authorisations.
Resources
Last edited: 11 April 2018 5:16 pm