www.articulateadvocacy.org.uk

Welcome to Articulate Advocacy

Articulate Advocacy cic is a community interest company managed by Leeds Advocacy.

Articulate Advocacy runs the Leeds Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy Service.

The Mental Capacity Act 2005 provides a statutory framework for acting and making
decisions on behalf of individuals.

Who lack the mental capacity to do so for themselves. This may be because of a
learning disability,an illness such as dementia or brain injury or mental health problems.
It sets out who can take decisions, in which situations, and how they should go about this.

The Mental Capacity Act creates a new service,
The Independent Mental Capacity Advocate (IMCA) service.

Its purpose is to help vulnerable people who lack capacity who are facing important
decisions made by the NHS and Local Authorities about serious medical treatment and
changes of residence for example, moving to a hospital or care home.

NHS bodies and Local Authorities will have a duty to consult the IMCA in certain
decisions involving people who have no family or friends.

Local authorities and NHS Trusts will be required, when making important decisions
about serious medical treatment or change of accommodation for people who lack
capacity, to appoint an IMCA to represent the individual if there is
no-one else to support them. Regulations passed in the autumn 2006 extended the
powers of local authorities and the NHS to instruct IMCAs in certain cases
involving care reviews and adult protection cases.
The IMCA's advice must be taken into account in the decision.