Throughout March, the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) has noticed an NHS workforce increase in ‘many urgent requests to search the database for people who have lost mental capacity.’
Given the situation we are in regarding social distancing, the NHS are finding it more difficult to ascertain any instrument an incapacitated patient may have.
In response, the OPG has released Guidance to help NHS workers effectively, efficiently and quickly gain access to the information they need to move an individual out of hospital to free up their bed, to understand the best interest treatment decisions for an incapacitated individual suffering from Covid-19 symptoms or just to understand the best interest decisions of a person with Covid-19.
NHS staff have been asked to send an email, using an OPG letter template with the subject line ‘Covid-19’ to OPGurgent@publicguardian.gov.uk.
As long as the email was sent from an official @nhs.uk or @gov.uk email domain address, the information will be returned within 24 hours and will be considered a priority.
Non-Coronavirus patients will have their information returned within 5 working days.
The letter template can be found below:
Dear OPG
Please search the OPG registers for any instrument for this individual:
Name:
Date of Birth:
Address:I require this information to assist with: (delete as applicable)
- moving this individual out of hospital care to an alternative setting in order to release their bed for care of patients affected by Covid-19/
- ascertaining best interest treatment decisions for an individual who is in hospital due to infection with Covid-19/
- ascertaining best interest decisions for an individual affected by Covid-19 whilst undertaking my statutory safeguarding duty.
I am unable to obtain this from the individual due to their lacking mental capacity.
