DoLS were introduced in April 2009 as an amendment to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (“The Act”). The Safeguards provide a framework for approving the deprivation of liberty for people who lack the capacity to consent to treatment or care in either a hospital or care home that, in their own best interests, can only be provided in circumstances that amount to a deprivation of liberty. The safeguards legislation provides for an assessment process that must be undertaken before deprivation of liberty may be authorised .
These statistics provide official information about authorisation requests under The Act to deprive adults of their liberty and the outcome of such assessments. The DoLS collection is a statutory collection. All 151 Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) and 152 Local Authorities (LAs) in England are required to submit a return even if they are only submitting a nil return to inform of no use of the safeguards.
