Case study: Mental capacity assessment

There are millions of people in the UK whose decisionmaking ability is impaired to some extent by conditions such as dementia. BU has developed a toolkit to help health professionals understand how best to help them.

The work was part of a wider research project funded by the Burdett Trust for Nurses. BU developed the toolkit to enable ethical, legal and informed professional practice, and to ensure professionals are confident in their understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

Comprehensive guide

The Mental Health Capacity Toolkit is a comprehensive guide that enables professionals to make better-informed decisions about everyday choices for their patients. It has been designed to be accessible and easily digestible for all healthcare professionals.

Broad range of professionals

The toolkit contains sections of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 including assessment of capacity and decision making. These sections are underpinned by interactive user experiences such as videos and quizzes.

So far, it has been accessed by over 14,000 professionals, supporting a broad range of practitioners across health and social care practice.

Vulnerable patients

The team was led by BU's Professor Lee-Ann Fenge and Dr Sally Lee. Professor Fenge said of the project: "We all take making decisions for granted, but if you have cognitive problems then someone else might have to make a decision for you – with decisions ranging from 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."

To learn more, visit mentalcapacitytoolkit.co.uk