An ADRT lets your healthcare team know your wishes if you are not able to communicate them; it is a decision you can make now to refuse a specific type of treatment at some time in the future.

AMCPs provide protection for adults who are, or who need to be, deprived of their liberty to enable their care or treatment and who lack the mental capacity to consent to their arrangements.

Autonomy is independence over your thoughts or actions and the ability to make your own decisions about what to do without being influenced.

Best Interests Assessors have a range of duties but are the person responsible for carrying out the Best Interests Assessment.

The Burdett Trust is an independent charitable trust, established in recognition of the foundation, philosophy, and structure of the Royal National Pension Fund for Nurses.

The Care Act helps to protect people’s independence and wellbeing. It states that local authorities must provide or arrange services that help prevent people developing needs for care and support or delay people deteriorating such that they would need ongoing care and support.

The MCA Code of practice gives guidance to people who work with people who can’t make decisions for themselves, regarding what they must do when acting on their behalf.

Cognitive impairment is when a person has trouble remembering, learning new things, concentrating, or making decisions that affect their everyday life.

A person may need a court-appointed deputy if they ‘lack mental capacity’ (they cannot make a decision for themselves at that time), to make decisions on their behalf.

The CoP is a court that deals with decisions or actions under the Mental Capacity Act. Someone would need to apply to the court if someone needs permission from them to make decisions about your health, welfare, financial affairs or property.

An assessment of capacity is not a one-off exercise, rather capacity needs to be assessed and recorded for each decision and situation.

Deprivation of liberty means taking someone's freedom away. In 2014, a Supreme Court judgement decided that someone is deprived of their liberty if they are both 'under continuous supervision and control and not free to leave'

The ECHR protects the human rights of people in countries that belong to the Council of Europe

A law largely incorporating into UK law the substantive rights set out in the European Convention on Human Rights.

An IMCA is an advocate appointed to act on your behalf if you lack capacity to make certain decisions.

When permission is granted in full knowledge of the possible consequences and knowledge of the possible risks and benefits.

An LPA is a legal document that lets a person appoint one or more people to help them make decisions or make decisions on their behalf, if they cannot make their own decisions. There are 2 types of LPA: health and welfare/property and financial affairs.

LPSs protect the rights and wishes of adults who are or need to be deprived of their liberty to enable their care or treatment and lack the mental capacity to consent to their arrangements. LPS will replace the Deprivation of liberty Safeguards (DoLS) system in 2022.

Treatment that is necessary to keep a person alive.

The MCA was designed to protect and empower people over 16 who may lack the mental capacity to make their own decisions about their care and treatment. It covers decisions about day-to-day things, as well as serious life-changing decisions.

The Ministry of Justice works to protect and advance the principles of justice, by ensuring that sentences are served, and offenders are encouraged to turn their lives around and become law-abiding citizens.

The OPG helps people in England and Wales to stay in control of decisions about their health and finance and make important decisions for others who cannot decide for themselves.

Individualised support is needed to each individual, to ensure that they are given all practicable help to make decisions themselves

Someone acting on behalf of a person who lacks capacity must consider whether it is possible to act in a way that would interfere less with the person’s rights and freedoms of action. Any intervention should be proportional to the particular circumstances of the case.

The Supreme Court is the final court for appeal in all UK civil cases.

Time-specific with the exception of urgent or emergency treatment, it is important to support an individual to make a decision at the time most optimal for them. Decisions may need to be delayed or timed when the person is best able to make the decision themselves.

To be Value neutral, you must be impartial and not influenced by personal beliefs, attitudes, or values.