The Mental Capacity Act 2005.

The Mental Capacity Act 2005 covers all decisions on personal welfare including financial matters, relating to people who temporarily or permanently lack mental capacity. This paper outlines the most important provisions of the Act and describes some of the implications for healthcare professionals. For example, the Act permits advance decisions to refuse healthcare; the appointment of a person to have a Lasting Power of Attorney to act on a person's behalf at some point in the future; the appointment of a court-appointed deputy to act on behalf of a person lacking mental capacity; and research involving people who lack mental capacity in specific circumstances. The Court of Protection will now have a role in resolving difficult ethical problems in clinical cases.