MCA & DOLS LEARNING CONTRACT 2016

MCA & DOLS LEARNING CONTRACT 2016 – SERVICE BRIEF
OVERVIEW: The aim of the Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (MCA & DOLS) Learning Contract 2016 is to secure a tailored education programme for Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust staff to ensure that their knowledge and understanding of the legislation are kept up to date, and support application in practice, in line with relevant Trust policies and procedures.

The Trust will commission two distinct teaching session types aimed respectively at professionally registered staff and clinical support staff. In designing the programmes, providers should take care that the contents have a practical application focus and address the range of skills and responsibilities across the workforce, as well as the variety of settings in which the staff work.

BACKGROUND: The vast majority of the professionally registered staff will have been exposed to MCA & DOLS awareness training in the past, whilst the breadth and depth of knowledge amongst clinical support workers may be more variable. It is therefore important that bids reflect learning activities designed to meet the needs of mixed ability groups, in addition to taking account of the local context of Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust.

Other considerations to be borne in mind when selecting course content and delivery approach include, but are not limited to, equality and human rights and health and safety. Additionally, the Trust may require, from time to time, targeted learning for specific (more homogenous) staff groups and/or emphasising specific aspects of MCA and DOLS application for particular groups. Bidders should be aware that such ad hoc sessions form part of the contract.

Providers will note that our professionally registered staff groupings are especially diverse, including nursing, therapies (eg occupational, psychological), social work and medical. Clinical support staff will work across the spectrum of our adult services, although their roles will typically be slightly less diverse.

With this in mind, the programme will be organised into two sessions of varying duration as follows:
? MCA & DOLS Workshop for Professionally Registered Staff (one day) and
? MCA & DOLS Workshop for Clinical Support Staff / HCAs (half day)

Providers should plan to deliver ten full day sessions and six half-day sessions annually, and they will be required to produce and issue a certificate of attendance to all delegates who complete their designated session.

Sessions will take place in suitable locations within the Trust’s geographical area, which currently includes the London Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich, as well as Kent.