BRIDGIT DIMOND is well known for her writings on health service law. She is a former member of the Mental Health Act Commission and a non-executive of Bro Taf Health Authority. She is an Emeritus Professor of the University of South Wales and a former non-executive director of Shaw Homes, a friendly society which manages nursing homes and care homes for the elderly, mentally infirm, and those with special needs

• Preface viAcknowledgements viiTable of cases viiiTable of statutes xivGlossary xviiList of abbreviations xxii1 Introduction: Anatomy of the Mental Capacity Act and its terms 12 Background to the legal system and the Mental Capacity Act 83 Human rights and statutory principles for governing decision making 194 Definition of mental capacity 315 Making decisions in the best interests of others 496 Lasting powers of attorney 777 Court of Protection, court-appointed deputies, the Office of the Public Guardian, and visitors 1058 Independent mental capacity advocates 1359 Advance decisions 16310 Research 18211 Protection of vulnerable adults and accountability 19912 Children and young persons 22913 Mental capacity and mental disorder 23914 Deprivation of liberty safeguards 25315 Organ and tissue removal, storage, and use 27916 The informal carer 28917 Implementation, resources, and Code of Practice 30518 Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland 31819 The future 330Websites 332Answers to quick fire quizzes 335Recommended further reading 344Index 346

BRIDGIT DIMOND is well known for her writings on health service law. She is a former member of the Mental Health Act Commission and a non-executive of Bro Taf Health Authority. She is an Emeritus Professor of the University of South Wales and a former non-executive director of Shaw Homes, a friendly society which manages nursing homes and care homes for the elderly, mentally infirm, and those with special needs

• Preface viAcknowledgements viiTable of cases viiiTable of statutes xivGlossary xviiList of abbreviations xxii1 Introduction: Anatomy of the Mental Capacity Act and its terms 12 Background to the legal system and the Mental Capacity Act 83 Human rights and statutory principles for governing decision making 194 Definition of mental capacity 315 Making decisions in the best interests of others 496 Lasting powers of attorney 777 Court of Protection, court-appointed deputies, the Office of the Public Guardian, and visitors 1058 Independent mental capacity advocates 1359 Advance decisions 16310 Research 18211 Protection of vulnerable adults and accountability 19912 Children and young persons 22913 Mental capacity and mental disorder 23914 Deprivation of liberty safeguards 25315 Organ and tissue removal, storage, and use 27916 The informal carer 28917 Implementation, resources, and Code of Practice 30518 Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland 31819 The future 330Websites 332Answers to quick fire quizzes 335Recommended further reading 344Index 346

BRIDGIT DIMOND is well known for her writings on health service law. She is a former member of the Mental Health Act Commission and a non-executive of Bro Taf Health Authority. She is an Emeritus Professor of the University of South Wales and a former non-executive director of Shaw Homes, a friendly society which manages nursing homes and care homes for the elderly, mentally infirm, and those with special needs

• Preface viAcknowledgements viiTable of cases viiiTable of statutes xivGlossary xviiList of abbreviations xxii1 Introduction: Anatomy of the Mental Capacity Act and its terms 12 Background to the legal system and the Mental Capacity Act 83 Human rights and statutory principles for governing decision making 194 Definition of mental capacity 315 Making decisions in the best interests of others 496 Lasting powers of attorney 777 Court of Protection, court-appointed deputies, the Office of the Public Guardian, and visitors 1058 Independent mental capacity advocates 1359 Advance decisions 16310 Research 18211 Protection of vulnerable adults and accountability 19912 Children and young persons 22913 Mental capacity and mental disorder 23914 Deprivation of liberty safeguards 25315 Organ and tissue removal, storage, and use 27916 The informal carer 28917 Implementation, resources, and Code of Practice 30518 Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland 31819 The future 330Websites 332Answers to quick fire quizzes 335Recommended further reading 344Index 346