Have hospitals now stopped doing Mental Capacity’ Tests on the over 75’s? I thought pre Covid it was automatic?
My husband went into hospital on 15th. I had stressed to the paramedics he was not medically compliant as although he went in primarily for diarrhea and dehydration he had been complaining of chest pains and had not been taking his inhaler properly. Surely this and the fact he had a Memory Clinic app which he missed due to being in hospital should have been a ‘red flag’?
In fairness, when challenged the Junior Doctor did say that they could keep him in and organise a team of carers if I felt I could not cope but he was ready to come home by then and would have simply discharged himself and made my life even more miserable if he thought I was trying to keep him in.
I do feel that LRI performed a dangerous discharge but am too fragile to complain and not sure it is totally the staff’s fault if patient is deemed as having ‘capacity’. The Junior Doctor also said that Mental Health Assessments are better carried out at a Memory Clinic not hospital - talk about passing the buck.