South Tees Safeguarding Team

21/04/2026

Series 8:

Myths – Quick answers
❌ Everyone who lacks capacity needs DoLS → False
❌ DoLS depends on time in hospital → False
❌ DoLS authorises treatment → False
❌ All patients on some wards need DoLS → False
✅ Restrictions should always be reviewed and reduced when possible

Key message
DoLS is about protecting people’s rights, not about controlling them.
Always:
Think person by person
Use the least restrictive option
Record decisions clearly
Reduce restrictions whenever possible

20/04/2026

Series 7:
Important situations
Emergency Department (A&E)
DoLS cannot be used
Care is usually provided under the MCA
Legal advice may be needed if restrictions are very strong
Moving wards
Same hospital: no new DoLS
Different setting or major change: review or new DoLS needed
End of life
Legal protection is still needed if liberty is restricted
Balance dignity, comfort, and rights carefully
Under 18s
DoLS does not apply
Deprivation of liberty may still need Court approval
Parents cannot consent to deprivation of liberty for 16–17 year olds

19/04/2026

Series 6:
The 6 legal checks for DoLS
All must apply:
Person is 18 or over
Person lacks capacity for the decision
Person has a mental disorder
No valid advance refusal or objection from legal decision‑maker
Restrictions are in the person’s best interests
Person is not detained under the Mental Health Act

While waiting for DoLS
Staff can still provide care under the Mental Capacity Act if:
The person lacks capacity
Care is in their best interests
Any restraint is:
Necessary to prevent harm
Proportionate
All decisions must be recorded clearly.

18/04/2026

Series 5:

Types of DoLS authorisation
1. Urgent Authorisation
Used when restrictions are needed immediately
Lasts 7 days (can be extended once for up to 7 days)
Hospital grants it
A Standard authorisation must also be requested
2. Standard Authorisation
Requested from the Council
Can be planned in advance
Should be processed within 21 days
Two assessors will visit:
Best Interests Assessor (BIA)
Mental Health Assessor (MHA)

17/04/2026

Series 4:
When DoLS is NOT usually needed
DoLS may not be needed if:
The person has capacity and agrees to stay
Restrictions are minimal and short-term
Care can be given safely under the Mental Capacity Act (MCA)
The person is in ICU and is critically ill and receiving life‑saving treatment (Ferreira exception)

Before making a DoLS referral
Staff should ask:
Are the restrictions necessary?
Are they proportionate (not more than needed)?
Are they in the person’s best interests?
Have we tried less restrictive options?
Never make blanket referrals
(e.g. not everyone with dementia needs DoLS).

16/04/2026

Series 3:
The “Acid Test”
A person is deprived of liberty if both are true:
Staff have continuous control over them
The person is not free to leave (even if they physically can't leave)

Common restrictions in acute hospitals
Restrictions may include:
Locked or keypad doors
One-to-one supervision
Sedative medication to control behaviour
Physical restraint
Bed rails or special beds that stop the person getting up
Preventing the person leaving the ward
Staff deciding about visits and movement
One restriction alone may not need DoLS.
Several restrictions together often do.

15/04/2026

Series 2:
Laws that can be used

In England, there are three legal routes:
Mental Health Act
Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) – this guide focuses on this
Court of Protection

Who does DoLS apply to?
DoLS applies when:
The person is 18 or over
The person lacks capacity to decide about staying in hospital
The person has (or is likely to have) a mental disorder
The person is deprived of their liberty
Examples of mental disorder, but not limited to, include:
Dementia
Brain injury
Learning disability
Stroke affecting the brain
UTIs
Infections
constipation

14/04/2026

Series 1:

Deprivation of Liberty in Acute Hospitals
This series aims to explain when and how to use Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) in acute hospitals.
It is for people who cannot make decisions for themselves about staying in hospital for care or treatment.

What does “deprivation of liberty” mean?
Everyone has the right to freedom.
A person may be deprived of their liberty if:
They are under continuous supervision and control, and
They are not free to leave, and
They cannot agree to this because they lack mental capacity
If this happens, the law says there must be legal protection in place.

14/04/2026

Please follow the link below for the March newsletter from North Yorkshire North Yorkshire Safeguarding Adults Board 😊

NYSAB Newsletter – March 2026 The We Care Scheme – Helping People Stay Safe and Supported  We Care is a North Yorkshire Police scheme designed to support anyone who may be vulnerable when they’re out and about or even at home. Created with input from York People First, the scheme helps people...

14/04/2026

‼️Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS)‼️
This can be a complicated topic - but making sure we get it right is vital for our patients to receive the best care possible, with the appropriate legal framework supporting us in what we do.

Over the next few days we have a series of posts that will help you to remember all of the key details.

Watch this space 👀👀👀

17/03/2026

Children in your community need you! 🫵🏽

To mark National Child Exploitation Awareness Day tomorrow, we want to encourage professionally curious people to become Community Guardians - volunteers who act as 'eyes and ears' to spot the signs of exploitation of children.

You'll receive specialist training to identify the warning signs that children are being groomed and tell you how you can share your concerns with authorities.

You might work in a public-facing role, such as in a shop or leisure venue. Or you might be a worried parent with good knowledge of local children and their behaviour.

It's easy to become a Community Guardian. Funded by Police and Crime Commissioner Matt Storey, experts at the Ivison Trust will take you through a two-hour training course, delivered remotely on Microsoft Teams.

Interested in protecting children in your community?

Sign up ➡️ https://ivisontrust.org.uk/communityguardians/

09/03/2026

Cases of self-neglect are difficult and often complicated to manage. The video below from North Yorkshire Safeguarding Adults Board offers some guidance on what you can do.