Every day, we make decisions about our lives. These decisions could be about simple things like what we eat and what we wear. They could also be about major things like our health, our care and our finances. Our ability to make decisions is called mental capacity.
The Mental Capacity Act covers a range of situations where people aged over 16 who may lack capacity, are involved in decisions. The Act also allows for people to plan ahead if they think they may lack capacity in the future.
An Independent Mental Capacity Advocate (IMCA) can represent people who lack capacity when there is no-one else to consult and there are certain serious decisions to be made. An ICMA can help to ensure that the best interests of the person are considered.
Contact
web: You can find more information about mental capacity on our social care pages and information about the Mental Capacity Act on the
Department for Constitutional Affiairs website, www.dca.gov.uk.
See also
Carers
Mental health
