Whose Decision? - Evaluation of Mental Capacity Assessment in England and Wales

The first of two reports from the Mental Health Foundation and the Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities on the implementation of the Mental Capacity Act 2005, which came into full effect on 1 October 2007. The research was carried out in the year leading up to the Act's implementation.

Researchers spoke to professionals working with vulnerable adults throughout the social care and health sectors, as well as to service users themselves and their carers. While they found some good practice, the overall picture was one of confusion about what mental capacity means and the criteria needed for assessments of capacity to be made.