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  • 12 August 2020
  • News

Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards: Annual Monitoring Report for Health and Social Care 2018-19

Together with Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW) we have jointly published the tenth annual report on the use of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards in Wales (DoLS).

The Safeguards apply to people over the age of 18 who can’t consent to treatment or care in a hospital or care home, where restrictions or restraint may deprive them of their liberty.

DoLS were developed to ensure people’s human rights are protected and maintained and the care they receive is in their best interests and delivered in the least restrictive way.

Findings

The total volume of applications received by local authorities increased by 6% in 2018-19, with the majority of DoLS applications received were for individuals who are aged 65 or older.

The vast majority of the applications that were refused were on the grounds of mental capacity. The authoriser required further evidence that the person lacked the mental capacity to make the decision in question before the DoLS application was accepted.

Most Standard applications were not completed in 28 days. Supervisory bodies are unable to assure themselves that people’s human rights are not being breached by being deprived of their liberty unlawfully.

Read the full report by clicking the link at the bottom of this page.