ABSTRACT
This chapter presents an overview of the training, the rationale behind it, and the evaluation of the pilot course. Capacity assessors require a working knowledge of the law and robust skills to apply this knowledge across a range of situations. The improvements in practical abilities and skills, as well as enhanced confidence, would result in the most significant improvements in the quality of capacity assessments undertaken and recorded, resulting in better outcomes for clients and patients. A holistic approach to assessing capacity was taken resulting in five core themes shaping the training. These were cognition, effective communication, psychosocial influences, risk factors and legal aspects of capacity. The development and evaluation of a training course that provided professionals with a holistic approach to assessing capacity was an innovative and exciting advance in the thinking around capacity assessments.
