What we do
The Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) procedure provides the legal framework to ensure a person’s human rights are protected when they are resident in a care home or hospital.
People can only be deprived of their liberty when they lack mental capacity to make a decision about their residence, care and treatment, and it is in their best interest. In other settings such as supported living the Court of Protection can authorise a deprivation of liberty.
The DoLS team consists of five Social Workers who are trained as Best Interest Assessors (BIA). There are currently 22 BIAs located across the Trust who also undertake BIA assessments. The DoLS team triage all referrals using a Screening Tool as agreed by the Supervisory Body which is Wirral Council.
All DoLS assessments require two assessors, a BIA and a Mental Health Assessor. The Mental Health Assessor is an independent Section 12 (MHA) approved Doctor who is commissioned by the BIA for each assessment undertaken. A series of six assessments undertaken by the mental health assessor and the BIA confirm whether the individual meets the statutory criteria and whether DoLS is a necessary and proportionate response to any risks.
Referral process
Care homes and hospitals must apply to the local authority for authorisations to deprive a person of their liberty. This referral is requested via the Central Advice and Duty team (CADT) who then send a form 1 to the care home or hospital which they then complete and forward electronically to the DoLS team.
The DoLS team triage all referrals as high, medium or low, using the Screening Tool which provides guidance on how to prioritise the allocation of requests to authorise a deprivation of liberty.
Contact
St Catherine’s Health Centre, Derby Road, Birkenhead, CH42 0LQ
Main service number – 0151 514 2222 option 3
Supporting resources
- MCA Code of Practice
- DoLS Code of Practice
- ADASS guidance
- Wirral Screening tool
- Six DOLS assessments
- Age
- Mental health
- Eligibility
- No refusals
- Mental Capacity
- Best Interests.
