The Office of the Public Guardian has published a short guidance note for attorneys and deputies setting out additional steps where a person lacks capacity to consent to the vaccine.

You can read the guidance on the gov.uk website. 

The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) has announced the appointment of 22 new Court of Protection General Visitors and the re-appointment of a further six. 

The Office of the Public Guardian is looking for special visitors to carry out mental capacity assessments of their clients.

Applicants should be registered medical practitioners with a licence to practise, HCPC registered psychologists who are ideally chartered by the British Psychological Society, also psychiatrists who are on the specialty register. Candidates with expertise in assessing people with Neurodevelopment disorders including learning disabilities and autism, Neuropsychiatric disorders and dementia are particularly welcome. They should also have expert knowledge of impairment or functioning of the mind or brain, experience in assessing mental capacity and an excellent understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

You can read more on the Public Appointments site. 

The Office of the Public Guardian has published fresh guidance on the correct approach where deputies make care payments to family members who are providing care for someone who lacks mental capacity.

The note

• defines what is meant by a family care payment, sometimes called a ‘gratuitous care’ payment 
• sets out the legal framework, the deputy’s authority to make payments and the Public Guardian’s view on factors to consider when agreeing and calculating such payments 
• explains when the Public Guardian expects deputies to seek approval of payments from the Court of Protection (‘the court’) and when the Public Guardian will consider applying to the court over unauthorised payments.

​You can download the full document from the OPG website here.

The Office of the Public Guardian has published it's safeguarding policy

The policy supports the Public Guardian’s role in safeguarding, and sets out how OPG will "work with other agencies to recognise and manage suspicions, allegations and findings of abuse of adults and children at risk, who are within the Public Guardian’s remit."

The policy is underpinned by six principles, identified as:

1. Empowerment – putting people first and helping those who lack mental capacity feel involved and informed
2. Protection – supporting victims so they can take action
3. Prevention – responding quickly to suspected cases of abuse
4. Proportionality – making sure what we do is appropriate to the situation and for the individual
5. Partnership – sharing the right information in the right way
6. Accountability – making sure all agencies have a clear role

It then goes on to outline the OPG policy and give guidance on issues such as spotting signs of financial abuse, the limits of its involvement and risk assessment.

The full document can be downloaded from the OPG site here.