The role of a best interest assessor and understanding deprivation of liberty safeguards
This session will be a brief overview of the Mental Capacity Act and the amendment of MCA Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards.
Learning Outcomes
- Understanding the key principals of the Mental Capacity Act 2005.
- Assessing Capacity & the responsibility we have under CQC
- Best Interest decisions
- Liberty protection safeguards and the role of a Best Interest Assessor (BIA)
- Examples of where equipment provision can cause restrictions to an individuals Liberty.
Meet our Experts

Mary has been working as an Occupational Therapist since 2006, initially in community rehabilitation services, then spending much of her time working in community services in Oxfordshire. Within this role she has held a special interest and lead role for postural assessments and equipment provision and is passionate to continue developing her knowledge and skills in 24 hr postural management.
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Prescribing seating for cognitively impaired users: exploring the risks
When prescribing seating, our aim is to meet the needs of the service user by prescribing a chair that will provide the right level of support, enable safe, easier assisted or independent transfers, reduce risk of pressure injuries and enable them to obtain and maintain a good sitting posture in the provided chair. However when a service user has a cognitive impairment and has poor risk awareness, additional risks are present. In this session we aim to outline some of these possible additional risks and how to overcome them to ensure the service user and their carers/family remain as safe as possible when the service user is seated in a chair that is there to meet their needs.
Pain management that works
In this session we will explore the prevalence and causes of pain in older adult residents and how that pain affects them in terms of cognitive, emotional and physical health and safety. We will look more closely at the relationship between pain and pressure ulceration in terms of increased risk and more challenging management, and explore management options including pharmacological, non-pharmacological and self-management.
Pressure ulcers – definition, assessment, prevention and treatment
Pressure ulcers are a painful, debilitating condition that can, largely, be prevented. Seen as a measure of harm by NHS England/Improvement and reportable to the CQC in care home settings, understanding how best to protect those within your care from developing a pressure ulcer is an important aspect of care delivery.
Prevention of pressure ulcers is however not always easy and, in some cases, not possible. Understanding how they develop, how to recognise those at risk, how to prevent them and what to do when they do occur is vital knowledge for anyone involved in the care of those vulnerable to pressure ulcers.
Staff with different skill sets can work their way through the whole programme, or they can choose individual modules.