- Topic Home / Introduction
- Welcome
- Assessment of mental capacity
- Helping with decisions
- Best interests
- Least restrictive option
- Advance statements
- Lasting Powers of Attorney
- The Court of Protection
- Professionals' duties
- Course Completion
- Record Your Reflections
- View all Module Notes
- Give Module Feedback
The Mental Capacity Act

The Mental Capacity Act is designed to protect and empower people who may lack the mental capacity to make their own decisions about their care and treatment. It applies to people aged 16 and over.
This course is a GDC Recommended CPD Topic (Legal & Ethical Issues), and is relevant to the whole dental team.
This course helps you understand its importance and relevance in dental practice.
The The Mental Capacity Act online learning course has clear and concise aims, objectives and anticipated outcomes, listed below. These will appear on the Dentaljuce Enhanced CPD Certificate, along with the time spent, dates, and detailed topics you studied within the module. Certificates can be printed at any time, covering any range of dates. Dentaljuce CPD complies with the UK GDC's requirements for enhanced verifiable continuing professional development.
Before starting this module, check that the learning outcomes are what you require, and that you have entered the need into your PDP. Here is an example PDP entry for this module.
What development needs have I? | How will I address them? | Target completion date | Outcomes | Date Completed |
---|---|---|---|---|
To improve my knowledge of the Mental Capacity Act (GDC outcomes: A B D) |
Take the Dentaljuce Mental Capacity Act course |
|
What development needs have I? | To improve my knowledge of the Mental Capacity Act (GDC outcome A B D) |
---|---|
How will I address them? | Take the Dentaljuce Mental Capacity Act course |
Target completion date | |
Outcomes |
|
Date completed |
Module Aims and Outcomes
Aim
The aim of the learning and teaching materials in this course is to allow learners to develop their professional understanding and ability to apply the Mental Capacity Act in the healthcare context, in line with their identified personal learning requirements.
Course objective
- To present a comprehensive overview of the Mental Capacity Act.
- To show how the Mental Capacity Act applies in practice.
Anticipated learning outcomes:
The learner will:- be able to identify when a person lacks capacity.
- know what procedures to adopt when there is incapacity.
- know who to contact to resolve doubt about capacity.
- through achieving these outcomes, provide an improved level of service to their patients.
GDC Development Outcomes
This CPD will support the learner in meeting the following GDC Development Outcome(s): A B D.
Aim
The aim of the learning and teaching materials in this course is to allow learners to develop their professional understanding and ability to apply the Mental Capacity Act in the healthcare context, in line with their identified personal learning requirements.
Course objective
- To present a comprehensive overview of the Mental Capacity Act.
- To show how the Mental Capacity Act applies in practice.
Anticipated learning outcomes:
The learner will:- be able to identify when a person lacks capacity.
- know what procedures to adopt when there is incapacity.
- know who to contact to resolve doubt about capacity.
- through achieving these outcomes, provide an improved level of service to their patients.
GDC Development Outcomes
This CPD will support the learner in meeting the following GDC Development Outcome(s): A B D.