DoLS Mental Health Assessor Refresher 9 July 2025

Aims

This refresher course has been designed to meet the needs of DoLS Mental Health Assessors. It will cover key topics that cause uncertainty or dilemmas for MH Assessors and go over the main basic requirements of this challenging role. Common Mental Health Act and DoLS interface issues will also be addressed such as the law around the provision of mental health treatment under DoLS. There will be plenty of opportunity to ask questions from an expert in the field and ask about your own case scenarios.  The day will be delivered by one of the authors of the highly popular Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards Handbook who has also trained thousands of doctors on the Mental Health Act; Mental Capacity Act and DoLS.

In order to attend this course, you must be a doctor who is also already qualified as a DoLS Mental Health Assessor.  If you are unsure if you meet the entry requirements, please contact us.

This course assumes a certain level of knowledge about the Mental Health Act and Mental Capacity Act. If you are out of practice, to get the most benefit out of the course and in order for the advanced level of the course to be maintained, please revisit the basics of the law prior to attending. In particular, it is imperative that you are fully familiar with Sections 1-6 Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the basic rules on Community Treatment Orders; Guardianship and Section 17 Leave. The Codes of Practice to both Acts contain relevant chapters on these subjects and are available on www.mentalhealthlaw.co.uk

Programme  

The day will include the following key topics:

• MHA and DoLS Stats

• Section 21A appeals and concerns

• Relevant Information- refresher

• Case Study

• Eligibility case law update and refresher

• Impairment/disturbance case law update

• Case Study

• DoLS Case Law update

• Eligibility case law update

• Quiz

• Mental capacity & the role of belief- case law

• Mental capacity & insight- case law

• Mental capacity and residence case law update

• Mental capacity and impairment

• Covert medication and DoLS- human rights considerations

• Questions and Evaluations

The course will be delivered by Aasya Mughal

Aasya is a barrister and director of Edge Training & Consultancy Ltd. She was called to the Bar in 2003 and has provided legal representation for individuals and businesses in civil litigation cases and for patients in appeals against their detention under the Mental Health Act. Aasya also gained considerable experience as an in-patient advocate working with detained patients on a number of mental health wards and also appeared before the Court of Protection in this role.

Aasya has volunteered for the human rights organisation Liberty providing legal information and advice to the public on human rights law and also volunteers her time to deliver training to families on the Mental Capacity Act through Edge.  Most recently, she has been providing guidance to charities and members of the House of Lords on the Liberty Protection Safeguards including the drafting of amendments to the Mental Capacity (Amendment) Bill (now Mental Capacity (Amendment) Act 2019).

She is co-author of a smartphone App, three books and four wall charts on the Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards used by local authorities, hospitals, advocacy groups, universities and lawyers. These books are highly reviewed on Amazon.

Includes all course materials and a PDF certificate. Course access details will be emailed direct to delegate(s) upon completion of your booking.  If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to email events@edgetraining.org.uk  or call 07341 277487.