How to conduct a capacity assessment? Assessing capacity is part and parcel of being a doctor. Having mental capacity means that a person is able to make their own decisions. You should always start from the assumption that the person has the capacity to make the decision in question (principle ). You should also be able to show that you have made every effort to encourage and support the person to make the decision themselves (principle ). See full list on scie. This may be from the day- to -day, such as what to wear or eat, through to more serious or complex decisions, about, for example, where to live, whether to have surgery or how to manage finances or property.
When suffering from depression, an individual may be unable to make a decision, but when recovered they can. An because someone lacks capacity to make major decisions, this does not mean they are unable to make minor decisions. For example, an individual with a learning disability whilst unable to make a decision about where to live, is able to make other smaller decisions, such as what to eat, wear or do each day. What and when to record will vary. As a general rule, there is no need to record assessments of capacity to take day-to-day decisions.
Remember in order to have protection from liability when providing care or treatment, staff must have a reasonable belief that the person they care for lacks capacity to make relevant decisions about their care or treatment (see section (1) MCA). (more…)