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May 02, 2023

Person Centred Software partners with Comentis to help care providers assess mental capacity and identify the vulnerable

Protect and support the vulnerable through the use of inclusive technology

We are excited to announce that Person Centred Software has partnered with Comentis, an award-winning vulnerability assessment platform that helps organisations proactively identify and triage at-risk clients.  

Person Centred Software's wide range of products, which include a Digital Care Planning System, eMAR, an Activities and Wellbeing Platform (which offers a range of services around wellbeing activities and training for residents and staff), Joined Up Care Services and much more, now includes a Mental Capacity Assessment tool. 

Comentis, a RegTech specialist based in central London, combines extensive clinical and digital experience to ensure vulnerable people don't go unidentified and unsupported.  

Person Centred Software's digital care planning system, the UK's most widely used Digital Social Care Record, integrated with Comentis's Mental Capacity Assessment tool, will allow health professionals and care providers to assess mental capacity and identify if a patient/service user is at risk quickly and easily.  
 
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What is mental capacity? 
 
A person's mental capacity refers to their ability to make an informed decision based on their understanding of a situation, their options, and the consequences of their decisions. 
 
What does 'lacking capacity' mean? 
 
If a person lacks capacity, they may be unable to make important decisions on certain matters - this might be permanent or temporary.  

 A lack of capacity doesn't always mean an individual can't make decisions about anything. A person can lack the capacity to make some decisions (for example, deciding on a complex financial issue) but still have the capacity to make other decisions (for example, deciding what items to buy at the supermarket).  

People who lack the capacity to make decisions independently must get the support they need to make those decisions. A failure to identify those who lack capacity could result in serious consequences for all involved.
 
Assess mental capacity with the Mental Capacity Assessment tool 
  
It's estimated that there are currently 2 million people in the UK who lack the mental capacity to make a decision about their health and welfare or finances.  

Comentis uniquely provides an online Mental Capacity Assessment tool that ensures health professionals and care providers can assess mental capacity and quickly and easily identify if a patient is at risk of reduced mental capacity and provide assurance that the individual has the required level of understanding, retention and evaluative skills for the decision at hand. 

Comentis's Mental Capacity Assessment tool is built in line with the Mental Capacity Act's two-stage test and meets Principles 1-3, which relate to the assessment of capacity.  

Health professionals and care providers can use the Mental Capacity Assessment tool to have a real-time conversation with the patient/service user as they navigate through the online assessment, using questions, instructions, and supportive aids. 

By following such a person-centred approach, health professionals and care providers are able to gather the individual's thoughts, wishes, and feelings regarding their decisions in a supportive and clear manner. 

What are the benefits and key features of the Mental Capacity Assessment tool? 
 
  • Assess mental capacity of an individual 
  • Decision-specific assessments with the threshold of understanding defined for the care provider/health professional 
  • Immediate indications of any mental capacity issues   
  • Fully compliant and accurate report on completion of the assessment, with all necessary evidence to meet requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 
  • Reports are automatically timed, dated and ID stamped 
  • Proven assessment methodology 
  • Discrete integration with existing processes 
  • Alleviates pressure and overcomes lack of staff confidence 
  • Saves time - on average, each assessment takes 5 minutes 
  • Provides a clear audit trail for Managers and external agencies, e.g. CQC, DOLS 
  • Standardisation of assessments ensuring consistency across staff members 
  • Assessments can be paused or repeated to allow for fluctuating capacity. 
Integration with Person Centred Software’s Digital Care Planning System 
 
Comentis's mental capacity assessments are now integrated into Person Centred Software's Digital Care Planning System.  

Health professionals and care providers can access the Comentis mental capacity assessments from the same starting point as the existing mental capacity form. 

Presently, three assessments are available:  
 
  • Consent to medication 
  • Consent to the use of bedrails  
  • Consent to using grab rails 

Comentis will roll out more assessments over the next coming months. 

 The quick and easy-to-use tool enables health professionals and care providers to assess whether a patient/service user has the mental capacity to make a decision around a specific area relating to their health and welfare. It then produces a full report which can be used to evidence the professional's decision-making, including their approach to determining the decision in question and how they have considered the individual's needs within this process. The full report can then be downloaded and saved into the patient/service user's file.  

The assessments are charged on a 'per beds' basis with access to unlimited assessments.  

To learn more, please contact us by clicking here.

May 2, 2023

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