Deprivation of Liberty Guidance now out!

The guidance on deprivation of liberty which I have been working with Neil Allen, Sophy Miles, Paula Scully and Beverley Taylor has now been published by the Law Society.

The guidance was commissioned by the Department of Health and aims to help solicitors and frontline health and social care professionals identify when a deprivation of liberty may be occurring in a number of health and care settings.

It uses case scenarios to explain the law following the landmark judgment of the Supreme Court in the Cheshire West guidance.

The complete guidance is available here. You can also download individual chapters relating to specific care settings.

Quick reference sheets also highlight relevant liberty restricting factors and key questions for practitioners relating to each individual setting.

Guidance documents

• Deprivation of liberty: a practical guide (PDF 1.3mb)
  • Chapter 1 – introduction (PDF 648kb)
  • Chapter 2 – the law (PDF 715kb)
  • Chapter 3 – Cheshire West (PDF 681kb)
  • Chapter 4 – the hospital setting (PDF 693kb)
  • Chapter 5 – the psychiatric setting (PDF 671kb)
  • Chapter 6 – the care home setting (PDF 686kb)
  • Chapter 7 – supported living (PDF 646kb)
  • Chapter 8 – at home (PDF 644kb)
  • Chapter 9 – under 18s (PDF 682kb)
  • Chapter 10 – summaries of key cases (PDF 715kb)
  • Chapter 11 – further resources (PDF 670kb)

Quick reference guides

• quick reference guide on the hospital setting (PDF 87kb)
• quick reference guide on the psychiatric setting (PDF 84kb)
• quick reference guide on the care home setting (PDF 84kb)
• quick reference guide on supported living setting (PDF 87kb)
• quick reference guide on the home setting (PDF 84kb)
• quick reference guide on under 18s (PDF 87kb)

Listen to the podcast

I have also recorded a podcast discussing the essential messages flowing from what is a lengthy guidance document. I focus on:

• the key points emanating from the Cheshire West case and its practical effect on the ground
• the correct approach to be taken in making decisions on deprivation of liberty and seeking authorisation