Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards
The Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) which apply only in England and Wales, are an amendment to the Mental Capacity Act 2005. The DoLS under the MCA allows restraint and restrictions that amount to a deprivation of liberty to be used in hospitals and care homes – but only if they are in a person’s best interests. To deprive a person of their liberty, care homes and hospitals must request standard authorisation from a local authority.
In July 2018, the Government published a Mental Capacity (Amendment) Bill which will see DoLS replaced by the Liberty Protection Safeguards (LPS). Under LPS, there will be a streamlined process for authorising deprivations of liberty. Read more from .gov Liberty Protection Safeguards
For more information, please review the DoLS documents below:
DoLS – Your Rights LeafletDoLS – Families Leaflet
DoLS – Professionals Leaflet
DoLS Policy