Using Technology to Improve the Mental Capacity Assessment and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards Process

The process of mental capacity act (MCA) assessment and depravation of liberty safeguarding (DoLS) was identified as an area for improvement. The project aimed to ensure that patients admitted to hospital for care and treatment were appropriately assessed if there is doubt about their mental capacity and that the subsequent legal process of DoLS is followed as needed. The project group sought to address this issue using clinical informatics through the electronic health record and data reports to re-design the process. User involvement was key to ensure the process and key pieces of documentation were designed to be easy for staff to use with responsibilities clearly defined. The importance of operational staff having good visibility of the end-to-end process was key to allow staff to identify and address any gaps in the process in real time without the need for escalation by the safeguarding team. A robust data report further supports the safeguarding team to effectively manage this group of vulnerable patients. The project has significantly increased appropriately the number of MCA assessments undertaken and subsequent DoLS applications submitted to local authority partners.