Monitoring the use of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards
What are the Safeguards?
The Safeguards apply to people who lack the ability to consent to treatment or care in either a hospital or care home and can only be provided where detention under the Mental Health Act 1983 is not appropriate.
The Safeguards were developed to ensure the human rights of such individuals are maintained and the care they need is provided in the least restrictive regimes.
How we monitor the use of the Safeguards
We work with Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) to monitor the implementation of the Safeguards by the NHS and registered independent hospitals.
We do this by:
- Visiting hospitals in accordance with our existing visiting programme.
- Talking to people and inspecting records.
- Gathering statistics and examining policies and procedures.
Each year we publish an annual report of our findings.