Implementation of the Mental Capacity Act in Care Homes
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Evaluating staff training and the implementation of the Mental Capacity Act in care homes for older adults
IRAS ID
327398
Contact name
Alys Wyn Griffiths
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Sheffield
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 3 months, 31 days
Research summary
The Mental Capacity Act (MCA) was introduced in England and Wales and sets out how decisions should be made when people have difficulties with their memory, communication, or understanding. All care home staff should receive training in how to apply the MCA. However, it has become clear that, in practice, this training and the implementation of the MCA are often inadequate. It is crucial that we better equip care home staff to care for residents who have difficulties with their memory or understanding, and ensure that decisions about their care are person-centred and in accordance with the legal frameworks.
We aim to develop theory- and research-informed training and practice recommendations to support care home staff with effective MCA implementation. We will explore how MCA training is implemented in practice, in a sample of care homes from across England and Wales.
In-depth mixed-methods case studies will be conducted in eight social care organisations (which may include data collection in 1-3 care homes per organisation dependent on the organisation size and structure). This will incorporate ethnographic observations consisting of informal conversations, semi-structured interviews, observations of training sessions and review of training documentation and care plans. We will spend the equivalent of around 10 working days collecting data at each site. The data collected will inform future co-production workshops.
REC name
Social Care REC
REC reference
24/IEC08/0036
Date of REC Opinion
28 Jan 2025
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion