Council services
You are here: Home » Health, social care and carers » Help and social care for adults » Mental Capacity Act
Information on the Mental Capacity Act
The Mental Capacity Act 2005 for England and Wales received Royal Assent on April 7 2005. It became law in October 2007 after implementation in two phases which started in April 2007.
The Act affects people aged 16 or over and provides a statutory framework to empower and protect people who may lack capacity to make some decisions for themselves - for example people with dementia, learning disabilities, mental health problems and stroke or head injuries.
It makes it clear who can take decisions in which situations and how they should go about this as well as enabling people to plan ahead for a time when they may lack capacity.
The Act will cover major decisions about someone’s property and affairs, healthcare treatment and where the person lives, as well as everyday decisions about personal care - such as what someone eats - when the person lacks capacity to make the decisions themselves.
Below are a list of resources relating to the Act.
Please click on the link on the left for information about Advocates under the Mental Capacity Act.
Your local implementation lead, Mike Wooldridge, Strategy and Performance Manager, can be contacted on 0118 974 6783.
Related Documents
Mental Capacity Act guide for planning ahead - booklet 1 PDF (458 KB)
Mental Capacity Act guidance for people who work in social care - booklet 3 PDF (342 KB)
Mental Capacity Act guidance for family, friends and carers - booklet 2 PDF (547 KB)
Mental Capacity Act for advice workers - booklet 4 PDF (424 KB)
