The Covid-19 pandemic has had significant implications for practice under the Mental Capacity Act, despite there having been no change in the law. On the one hand, people who may lack capacity to make relevant decisions have been disproportionately represented among those at significant risk from the disease or from the severest restrictions brought in to tackle its spread. On the other, practitioners have had to significantly change their ways of working because of social distancing measures, creating additional challenges for the conduct of capacity assessments or best interests decisions.
This session will review learning and experience from the pandemic to date to inform future practice, both under Covid-19 and beyond, focusing on: