The Court of Protection, care homes, the rule of law and deprivation of liberty

The Vice-President of the Court of Protection, Hayden J, has written to Directors of Adult Social Services (in a letter which can be shared more widely) to highlight a number of key points relating to the operation of the MCA 2005 in the context of COVID-19 and care homes.

The wide-ranging letter takes in remote assessments and a protocol for managing DoLs prepared by Lorraine Currie, MCA/DoLS lead for Shropshire County Council; it notes that:

It was expressed to me, at the Hive group, that there appear to be some who believe that careful adherence to proper legal process and appropriate authorisation may now, at times, be required to give way to other pressing welfare priorities. I understand how this view might take hold in establishments battling to bring calm and reassurance to intensely distressed people, both in the Care Homes and within their wider families. It is important, however, that I signal that whilst I am sympathetic to the pressures, I am very clear that any such view is entirely misconceived. The deprivation of the liberty of any individual in a democratic society, holding fast to the rule of law, will always require appropriate authorisation. Nothing has changed. The Mental Capacity Act 2005, the Court of Protection Rules and the fundamental rights and freedoms which underpin them are indispensable safeguards to the frail and vulnerable.  (emphasis in original)

The letter also notes that:

There has been a striking and troubling drop in the number of Section 21A (MCA 2005) applications which has occurred, in some areas, alongside a significant reduction in referrals to advocacy services. It needs to be emphasised that where there has been a failure properly to authorise deprivation of liberty one of the consequences is that, in the absence of authorisation, there will be a loss of entitlement to public funding and inevitably an obstruction to the individuals absolute right to challenge the deprivation of liberty. For the present I simply highlight my concern and restate the importance of the statutory requirements.

In terms of remote assessments, this document prepared by Lorraine Currie is of considerable assistance; she also contributed to a webinar for the National Mental Capacity Forum on the subject, which can be found here.