We welcome the major changes to safeguarding and protections under the proposed Liberty Protection Safeguards. Implementation has stalled for five years against a backdrop of rising demand and escalating consequences; over 332,000 Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards applications were made in 2023/24, with only 19% completed within the 21-day legal requirement—and many people waiting over a year for completion. The Government’s announcement is a vital step towards addressing the unsustainable pressures we have consistently highlighted.
Every day, people are being deprived of their liberty without proper legal authority because the system designed to protect them is overwhelmed and misunderstood. This carries a profound risk of human rights breaches, particularly for people with learning disabilities, autism, dementia or long-term mental health conditions.
We strongly welcome the consultation next year and the long-overdue revision of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) Code of Practice. But with rising demand, mounting delays and legal ambiguity, continuing inaction will only deepen injustice and increase costs—both human and financial. Reform must now move from commitment to delivery.
Kathryn Marsden OBE
Chief Executive of the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE)