Refusal of care: when it’s not so simple

Today I want to talk about an issue that I have come across regularly in practice: individuals who are refusing care. The reason I am talking about this is that I have seen this concept misused by public authorities when this is convenient for them. I have a case at the moment where this isContinue reading “Refusal of care: when it’s not so simple”

About face: changing your position during Court of Protection proceedings part 3

This is the third post in a series about changing your mind during Court of Protection proceedings. If you’ve not read parts 1 and 2, feel free to do so. But I’ll briefly recap the scenario too. Essentially, my client was in a care home, suffering from dementia and objecting to her residence there. HerContinue reading “About face: changing your position during Court of Protection proceedings part 3”

About face: changing your position during Court of Protection proceedings – part 2

In this series of posts, I’m exploring how to approach a situation if, during Court of Protection proceedings, the professionals views about what I’d viable or what is in P’s best interests. It happens sometimes, and it’s inconvenient and difficult to navigate. But not impossible to achieve. I’m using an example from my recent casesContinue reading “About face: changing your position during Court of Protection proceedings – part 2”

About face: changing your position during Court of Protection proceedings – part 1

I want to talk about a relatively common occurrence that occurs during Court of Protection proceedings: changing the professional recommendations. In writing this I’ve realised I have a lot to say on this topic so I’ve broken it down into 4 parts. To start us off, I’ll set the scene. In one of my casesContinue reading “About face: changing your position during Court of Protection proceedings – part 1”

Miracle on the High Street

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you will know that as a child I was heavily influenced by the classic Christmas film Miracle on 34th Street. After spending a lot of time in my studies thinking I wanted to work for the Crown Prosecution Service, I accidentally found myself in an areaContinue reading “Miracle on the High Street”

Networking as an introvert

As I mentioned, I have recently changed roles (again). I’m still in private practice doing largely legal aid work so I wasn’t expecting much of the job to change, just the people and the work environment. My current firm is much more vocal about employees’ skills and successes, though. I’m also one of the firstContinue reading “Networking as an introvert”

The lure of the easy road

Today I’m going to talk about a case that posed some interesting conundrums for me. It was one of those cases that I couldn’t decide whether it was an interesting puzzle or just a massive pain. So it’s story time people! My client was one of those people that are regularly described as ‘difficult’ andContinue reading “The lure of the easy road”

A reminder of why DoLS matters

In this post I’m going to talk about one of my recent cases which I think highlights why the whole DoLS process is important. I think it’s very easy when systems are overworked, and when it is acknowledged that the current process is far from ideal, to start to see DoLS as an inconvenience andContinue reading “A reminder of why DoLS matters”

Needles in haystacks: reviewing social care records

Today I want to talk about one of the more time-consuming aspects of my job: reviewing social care records. Or, more accurately, reviewing social care, care provider and healthcare records. You may or may not be aware, but it is standard practise in Court of Protection proceedings that the court will make disclosure orders requiringContinue reading “Needles in haystacks: reviewing social care records”

Micro-management or proper scrutiny: finding the balance

It’s often said in court of protection proceedings that the court ought not to micromanage a care package. That is certainly true but the court does need to properly scrutinise a care package to ensure that it is in P’s best interests. There is a balance to be struck and today I’m going to talkContinue reading “Micro-management or proper scrutiny: finding the balance”