Demystifying Mental Capacity: A Guide for Health and Social Care Professionals

This very practical book helps professionals and students to engage critically with their practice by addressing mental capacity and adult safeguarding. Its accessible and easy to navigate format include key topics surrounding assisted decision making, deprivation of liberty, and consent. 

Sally is lecturer and Programme Lead for social work at Bournemouth University. She is also undertaking research on a variety of projects including mental capacity, adult safeguarding and sexual well-being. She completed her doctoral research in 2016 exploring social work practice, physical disability and sexual well-being. This work continues and she is currently developing learning materials (including a short film) around sexual well-being for social care and health practitioners. Sally brings to her academic role extensive social work practice experience built up during more than 25 years of working in diverse practice settings and services. Her research interests focus on often marginalised populations including investigating the experience of financial abuse and the detriment to individuals and society beyond financial loss.

Before joining Bournemouth University as a lecturer in 1995, she worked as a social worker in adult social services in London and Dorset. Her particular interests are in practice with older people and community care, and she has published an number of journal articles in this area. She also developed and taught a research programme for older people in Community Survey Research – funded by Older and Bolder, in September 2004.

Keith holds professional qualifications in nursing, social work and teaching; and academic qualifications in nursing, social work and management. He has worked in the education and training field for over 30 years, working for three universities and three local authority social work departments. Currently he is the Director of the National Centre for Post-Qualifying Social Work and Professional Practice at Bournemouth University and the Director of the Centre for Leadership Impact and Management at Bournemouth. In 2005 he was awarded the Linda Ammon Memorial Award, sponsored by the then Department for Education and Skills, a prize awarded to the individual making the greatest contribution to training and education in the UK. His main academic interest lies in the fusion of academia and professional practice to help improve professional thinking and practice.