Advocacy in the London Borough of Islington

VoiceAbility Camden, Islington and Hackney Logo In the London Borough of Islington, we provide:

Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy (IMCA)
Independent Mental Health Advocacy (IMHA)
Professional advocacy

You can find out more about these services below.

Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy (IMCA):

IMCAs work with people who have been assessed as lacking capacity and who do not have family or friends who are appropriate to speak up for them. This work is always about decisions around serious medical treatment or changes in long term accommodation.

An IMCA can also support where there are concerns regarding Safeguarding or care reviews.

You can find out more about our IMCA and IMCA DoLs services in our IMCA section. This includes how to make an IMCA referral.

Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards

Managing Authorities (Care Homes or NHS Hospitals) and Supervisory Bodies (Local Authority or Primary Care Trusts) have a duty to consult an IMCA when assessing a potential Deprivation of Liberty if there are no appropriate family or friends to consult about the decision. In some situations it may also be appropriate for an IMCA to be requested to offer support to the person deprived of their liberty, or their Relevant Person’s Representative after an authorisation has been granted.

The DoLS IMCA will ensure that all relevant factors, including the individual’s wishes and feelings are taken into consideration, by those making decisions about whether or not to grant a deprivation of liberty. If an authorisation has been granted the IMCA can support the person deprived of their liberty or their Representative to understand what DoLS mean and how it is affecting them. They can also support the person or Representative to challenge the authorisation if appropriate.

You can find out more about this subject in our DoLS section.

Relevant Person’s Representative

Within this service, we would represent a person who has been deprived of their liberty after a decision has been made to do so in their best interests. We would ensure that the reasons for the deprivation are still relevant and that any measures that are put in place to support the deprivation are being carried out.

Islington Inpatient IMHA & Professional Advocacy Service

VoiceAbility provides advocacy to inpatients on all the wards at the Highgate Mental Health Centre, whether you are detained under a section of the Mental Health Act 1983 or are staying as an informal patient.

The service provided is free, confidential and independent.

Referrals can be made by:

Telephoning the advocacy office on 020 7561 4118 / 4119 / 4124
Emailing ci-imha@voiceability.org
Approaching one of the advocates on the wards. Our VoiceAbility Advocates at Highgate are Donna Mian and Megan Karnes.

The address for postal referrals is: VoiceAbility Advocacy & IMHA Service, Highgate Mental Health Centre, Dartmouth Park Hill, London N19 5NX.

Self-referrals are both welcomed and encouraged but third parties can also refer with the client’s consent.

Islington Community IMHA Service

VoiceAbility also provides a community IMHA service to Islington residents who meet the following criteria:

If you are subject to Supervised Community Treatment under the Mental Health Act 1983 (otherwise known as being on a Community Treatment Order);
If you are subject to Guardianship under the Mental Health Act 1983;
If you are a conditionally discharged restricted patient.

Referrals can be made by telephoning 020 7485 2424, by e-mailing ci-imha@voiceability.org or by writing to the address below.

Again, self-referrals are both welcomed and encouraged but third parties can also refer with the client’s consent.