Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards: Annual Monitoring Report for Health and Social Care 2018-19
A joint report between ourselves and Healthcare Inspectorate Wales.
This joint report examines the key findings for the year 2018/19, designed to contribute to the improvement in outcomes for people in need of support from the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards in Wales. This year’s publication has been delayed due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
What is a deprivation of liberty?
A deprivation of liberty is:
- when a person is under continuous or complete supervision and control, and
- is not free to leave, and
- lacks capacity to consent to these arrangements.
What are the Safeguards?
The Safeguards exist to empower and protect any individual with a mental disorder, where there is doubt about their mental capacity, to make informed decisions about their care when they are hospital patients or residents in a care home.
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.