Key learning points

• Professionals’ skills in supporting decision making are essential to underpin effective and empowering mental capacity practice. 

• Professionals are not expected to have all the skills required to be able to support people who live with communication difficulties but need to work in partnerships with others who have the required expertise. 

• Information should be provided to service users/patients in different formats and using accessible language to enable understanding 

• Effective supported decision making requires professionals to understand the threshold of understanding relevant to each specific decision. 

• Practice in this area can be supported by using the available guidance on communication techniques