Project Duration
May 2013 - February 2014
Funder
NIHR Research Capability Funding awarded by Nottingham City NHS Clinical Commissioning Group
Project Staff
- Prof Karen Cox 1
- Kathryn Hinsliff-Smith 1
- Sarah Kirkwood 1
- Dr Nima Moghaddam 1
- Prof Jane Seymour 1
- Prof Tom Dening 1
- Dr Lydia Bird 1
- Dr Joanne Cooper 1
- Louise Bramley 1
- Dr Hugh Porter 1
Seconded Project Staff
- Ruth Feakes 2
- Gillian Whitworth 2
Staff Institutions
- The University of Nottingham
- Nottinghamshire City Care Partnership
Aims
Service-users value care that promotes their individual dignity and independence. However, for a growing population of frail, older people – those who may have limited ability to make their own decisions – this standard of care is difficult to uphold. The Mental Capacity Act (2005) provides legal protections and guidance to uphold dignity in care, but we know very little about how the Act is being used in practice. In particular, we don’t know whether it helps carers to provide day-to-day care and support. Every day, professional and family carers are required to carry out many small acts of care in situations where the person they are caring for may not be able to make their own decisions.
The proposed research will address this crucial gap in understanding by asking carers about their views and experiences of caring for older people who may lack the ability to make their own decisions.
It aims to describe real-world views and practice in the context of the Mental Capacity Act and related guidance – with implications for improving future guidance and care provision.
Methods
The project consisted of (1) a systematic review of available empirical, ethical, and policy literature pertaining to implementation of the Mental Capacity Act within health and social care services; and (2) qualitative interviews of formal and informal carers to understand views and experiences of current practice, and elucidate challenges therein.
Stage of Development
The project has been completed.
The literature review and interview data demonstrate that continued education around the principles of the MCA is crucial for staff across all care settings. However, there is a caveat to stating that continual education and staff training should be provided, as any interventions must be context specific and provide an avenue for staff to consider all the implications of the MCA on their daily practice. This would include the pre-registration training of healthcare professionals regardless of their branch of learning (adult, mental health, learning disabilities and child) since these are the future nursing workforce. This could be implemented by a ‘tool kit’ approach to learning whereby staff are able to apply the conventions of the MCA into different settings whilst still considering the needs of the individual patient and a more person-centred approach to care.