The Human Rights Act
Providing that a person is competent (that they understand what is going on and the consequences of their actions) and that they are acting voluntarily; the decisions of adults about physical intervention cannot be overridden or ignored (Arnorld.E, 1988). The Mental Capacity Act 2005 provides a statutory framework to empower and protect vulnerable people who are not able to make their own decisions. It makes it evident who can take decisions, in which situations, and how they should go about this. The Act is effective in England and Wales and came fully into force in April 2007. It also allows people to prepare for a time ahead for a when they may lose capacity. (NMC 2007).