The purpose of the IMCA service is to help vulnerable
people who can not make important decisions about serious
medical treatment and changes of accommodation, and have no family
or friends who can help them.
People will be eligible for the IMCA service if they:
- are facing decisions about long term accommodation and/or
serious medical treatment, and
- lack capacity to make these decisions, and
- have no appropriate family or friends to consult.
People must fit all of these criteria to receive the IMCA
service.
The role of IMCA
When a health or social care professional (decision maker) needs
to make a decision about someone and the IMCA service becomes
involved, the advocate will:
- make representations about a person’s wishes, feelings, beliefs
and values in relation to the decision being made
- enable the person to participate as fully as they can in the
decision making process
- obtain and evaluate the relevant information to the
decision
- ascertain any alternative courses of action that may be
available
- obtain a further medical opinion if necessary
- bring all factors relevant to the decision to the attention of
the decision maker(s)
- challenge decisions if appropriate
- produce a report commenting on the decision to be made and how
the individual’s best interests can be promoted
North Somerset has
appointed Friend in
North Somerset to provide the Independent Mental Capacity
Advocacy (IMCA) service.
If you need to instruct an IMCA you can get more detailed
guidance and information on the IMCA service from:
Alternatively you can download an
IMCA Leaflet which provides more
information on the service in Bristol.
An IMCA Referral Form (pdf, 55k, April 2007) is
also available if you wish to download it, fill it out
and send the completed form
to Friend
in North Somerset.
A copy of the
First Annual Report of the IMCA
Service covering the period April 2007 -
March 2008 is also available.
