But despite this, vulnerable adults are still being failed by social workers, healthcare professionals and others involved in their care who may not be using the act correctly or, in some cases, may not even be aware of it. This was the key finding of the House of Lords committee established to scrutinise how the Act is working in practice, as outlined in its report published in March 2014.
Advance care planning (ACP), the voluntary process of discussion to help a person decide on their future care, is intrinsically linked to the MCA. The MCA established a framework for decision making on behalf of patients who lacked capacity, aiming to ensure that all decisions are made in such patients’ best interests.
This is why, when considering a new series of training workshops, the National Council for Palliative Care (NCPC) decided to combine the Mental Capacity Act and advance care planning in a full-day workshop.
The morning session, which is held at NCPC’s new offices at Hospice House in central London, covers the MCA. It supports delegates in developing their practice in relation to the Act, using real life case studies to explore its practical application.
The afternoon session focuses on the challenges of advance care planning conversations and guides staff towards the knowledge and skills which help open, and continue, conversations with people as they approach the end of their lives.
Facilitating the course are:
- Elaine Bramhall, a former health professional with over 20 years’ experience who is now managing director of Effective Communication Matters
- Julie Foster, who was appointed by the Department of Health as the Mental Capacity Act implementation lead for the North West following years working as a learning disability nurse
- Sheona Ramsbottom, a former NHS psychotherapist of many years standing who is managing director of a communication skills training company Lingard Links Ltd.
Elaine said: “Comments from attendees and on the day feedback to us confirm even after so long staff have felt uncertain about how to apply the MCA in practice.
“Sometimes we see an obvious pressure lift as we break down these complex and emotive areas of care with our practical ‘how to’ approach.
“The thrill, for me as a trainer, is that participants can actually tell us what they do differently as a result of attending this workshop, confirming we can influence practice and the experience of patients, service users and carers positively.”
Feedback from attendees has been overwhelmingly positive. Comments include: “Lots of opportunity to interact and learn from real life experience”, “Very well presented and opportunity throughout to be interactive” and “The whole workshop was superb; I feel more confident in being able to initiate and continue ACP.”
The workshops ran throughout 2015 and are continuing throughout 2016, with the next workshops being help on Tuesday 1 March and Tuesday 8 March. Limited to a maximum of 20 people, they run from 9.30am – 4.30pm and lunch is provided. The cost for NCPC subscribers is £199 and for non-subscribers £299.
For more information visit the NCPC website or contact Beth Lloyd-Williams, training project lead, at b.lloyd-williams@ncpc.org.uk or on 020 7697 1520.
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