Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy (IMCA)

VoiceAbility South Yorkshire Logo Our IMCA service operates in Barnsley. Our advocates have a key role in reviewing how the service is progressing, monitoring the affects that it has on patients lives.

Our role is not just to work with clients on their issues, but ensure that people around Barnsley know about the service. Already, over the past year the IMCA team have taken part in 127 sessions with care homes, social work teams, hospital staff groups.

Professionals working in care homes, social work teams, hospitals are amongst the many that are able to make referrals to the IMCA service by answering some key questions:

The person is assessed as lacking the ability to make a decision, and needing an IMCA, if they cannot do one or more of the following:

Understand information given to them about the decision.
Retain the information for long enough to make the decision.
Use or weigh up the information as part of the decision making process.
Communicate their decision (by any means, e.g. talking, sign language or blinking).

The assessment must be specific to the decision which needs to be made, for example, not a generic test of capacity. Whether and how such assessments are recorded may vary according to the seriousness of the decision made. If you are not sure whether an IMCA is relevant or not, call our referral line and we can talk you through the situation and advise you of the best route forward.

“The advocate spent the time needed with the client going at his pace until she was satisfied he understood as much as possible.” Professional referring client to IMCA service in Barnsley

Alternatively, you can download our referral form from our IMCA page