Independent Mental Capacity Advocate (IMCA)
What is an Independent Mental Capacity Advocate (IMCA)?
The role of the Independent Mental Capacity Advocate service is to provide independent safeguards for people who lack the capacity to make certain important decisions and at the time that such decisions need to be made they have no-one else to support or represent them or who can be consulted.
An IMCA must be instructed when you have no "appropriate family or friends" who can be consulted:
- an NHS body is proposing to provide serious medical treatment
- an NHS body or local authority is proposing to arrange accommodation (or a change of accommodation), whether in a hospital or care home, where the person will stay in hospital for more than 28 days or in a care home for more than eight weeks
- a move to a care home that would be more than 28 days
- your safety or care is likely to result in you being deprived of your liberty
An IMCA may be instructed to support someone who lacks the capacity to make decisions concerning:
- care reviews, where no ‘appropriate family or friends’ are available to be consulted
- safeguarding referral, whether or not family, friends or others are involved
There are full details about the statutory requirements of the IMCA in Chapter 10 of the Mental Capacity Act Code of Practice
IMCA service in Southend
South Essex Advocacy Services provides the IMCA service in Southend.
Find out information about the role of an IMCA and referral forms provided by South Essex Advocacy Service.