The extent of the High Court’s inherent jurisdiction for the protection of vulnerable adults was considered last month in the widely reported case of Southend-on-Sea Borough Council v Meyers.[1] Inherent jurisdiction is the power of the High Court to protect ‘incompetent’ and…
Amid the noise arising from Brexit, Sir Simon Wessely’s review of the Mental Health Act was published in December. The report runs to some 300 pages grouped by reference to a series of principles, namely: Truth and autonomy The use of least…
The Upper Tribunal recently considered the issue of what a patient needs to understand in order to establish they have capacity to bring proceedings before the First-Tier Tribunal.[1] Background to the case Mr S, the patient in this case, did not have…
Is the use of surveillance cameras in care homes an acceptable practice? This question has been subject to regular debate in the care home sector and the media, often in the context of cases where care homes have been seen to have failed their…
The Supreme Court has recently given an important judgment[1] in which it has made clear that it is not a legal obligation for healthcare professionals to seek the approval of the Court before withdrawing clinically assisted nutrition and hydration (CANH)…
The Mental Capacity (Amendment) Bill was introduced to the House of Lords yesterday for its first reading, following a Law Commission consultation last year. The bill seeks to replace the current DoLs regime with ‘Liberty Protection Safeguards’. It recognises the difficulties inherent…
Professor Sir Simon Wessely, Chair of the independent review into the operation of the Mental Health Act (MHA), published the panel’s interim report. The report is based on upon a preliminary assessment of the issues following the conclusion of a wide…
The Upper Tribunal has recently given further helpful guidance on disclosure in cases where the patient is being covertly medicated.[1] The patient in this case was affected by treatment resistant schizophrenia with a longstanding history dating back to the 1970s. He…
On 23 March 2018, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) published a report entitled ‘The state of care in independent online primary health services’[1]. It set out the findings from the CQC’s programme of inspections of primary healthcare service providers who…
The Court of Protection has recently been involved in the case of Skripal and exposure to the chemical nerve agent Novichok.[1] Urgent applications in the Court of Protection As part of the investigation into the chemicals involved in the poisoning in Salisbury,…
