Public meetings have been organised across Northern Ireland to help raise awareness of the proposed Mental Capacity Bill and get feedback from local people.
The Bill covers decisions about things such as helping to wash and dress a person, depriving a person of their liberty for their care or treatment, spending the person’s money to, for example, buy groceries or pay household bills and other decisions relating to a person’s financial and property affairs.
The legislation will also make provision for ensuring that decisions made about medical treatment by individuals who are subject to the criminal justice system are respected and are subject to the same safeguards that are available for everyone else.
Officials from the Departments of Health and Justice will visit five locations throughout June, July and August to give members of the public an opportunity to comment on the proposed Bill.
Details of the meetings are:
Newcastle – Wednesday 6 August, 10am, Glenada Holiday & Conference Centre.
Each meeting will last about two hours. If a member of the public is unable to attend any of the meetings but would still like to comment, the consultation documents are available on the DHSSPS and DOJ websites.
Health Minister Edwin Poots said: “The proposed Mental Capacity Bill has the potential to affect everyone in Northern Ireland at some stage in their lives. The Bill will, for the first time anywhere, introduce a single framework governing all situations where a decision needs to be made in relation to the care, treatment or personal welfare of a person aged 16 or over who lacks capacity to make the decision for themselves.
“It is important that people are aware of this Bill and have an opportunity to tell us what they think about it because it involves major reform of existing mental health laws here in Northern Ireland. We must get this new law right and the real life experiences of people will be invaluable.”
Justice Minister David Ford added: “The proposals we are publishing also apply the mental capacity principles to the criminal justice system. My goal is to ensure that those who are subject to the justice system have access to treatment and care under the same principles as are available to other members of our society.”
The meetings are part of a consultation exercise which started on 27 May and will run until 2 September. It is planned to introduce the Bill in the Assembly in early 2015.
If you would like to register to attend the event please do so via the following details: email:
mentalcapacity@dhsspsni.gov.uk Tel: 028 9052 0125.]]>
