3 Counties Independent Mental Capacity Advocate (IMCA) Service
The Independent Mental Capacity Advocate Service across Carmarthenshire,
Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire is provided by MAP and Eiriol working
in partnership. This is a statutory service brought about by the
Mental Capacity Act 2005 and is regulated by Independent Mental
Capacity Advocates (Wales) Regulations 2007.
The aim of the Independent Mental Capacity Advocate (IMCA) service
is to provide independent safeguards for people aged 16 years or
older who lack capacity to make certain important decisions and,
at the time such decisions need to be made, have no-one else (other
than paid staff) to support or
represent them or be consulted.
An IMCA MUST be instructed, and then consulted, for people
lacking capacity who have no-one else to support them (other than
paid staff), whenever:
an NHS body is proposing to provide serious medical treatment,
or
an NHS body or local authority is proposing to arrange accommodation
(or a change of accommodation) in hospital or a care home, and the
person will stay in hospital longer than 28 days, or they will stay
in the care home for more than 8 weeks.
An IMCA MAY be instructed to support someone who lacks capacity
to make decisions concerning
Care reviews relating to accommodation where no-one is available
to be consulted for people aged 16 or over
Adult Protection cases, whether or not family, friends or others
are involved and are aged 18 or over
Referrals can be made by an authorised person and should be made
in writing by completing a referral form and sending it by fax,
email or post.
Where a verbal referral is made the referral form should be completed
within 24 hours.
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