Assessing Mental Capacity in Older People course for GPs

Mental capacity is the ability to take actions affecting daily life. This session provides an overview of the legal and practical implications of assessing mental capacity in primary care.

This session was reviewed by Khyati Bakhai and last updated in January 2022.

Learning objectives

By the end of this session you will be able to:

• explain the Mental Capacity Act and its uses
• assess a patient's mental capacity to make decisions
• recognise how to use Lasting Powers of Attorney and Courts of Protection
• recognise the use and limitations of advanced directives
• establish the medical criteria for fitness to drive for people who lack mental capacity

Mental capacity is a person's ability to take actions affecting daily life, for example deciding when to get up, what to wear or what to eat. It is also the ability to make more major decisions, such as where to live or how to manage money. This session deals solely with the mental capacity of adults to make decisions.