Following a hospital admission, Melvin was at the point of discharge and Dorothy was ready to take him home. He had been transferred to a different ward ahead of discharge – Dorothy did not know the team on this ward, and they were not familiar with Melvin’s care.
When a doctor on the ward went to discharge Melvin, they judged him not to have mental capacity. This was due to Melvin’s difficulties communicating, rather than lack of capacity. Dorothy was not present at this meeting so was unable to help with communication issues.
The doctor then convened a multi-disciplinary team who determined that Melvin could not be discharged. Dorothy objected but was asked if she had a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) to overrule the decision, which she didn’t.
Dorothy had to prove that she had the mental and physical ability to care for Melvin if he was discharged. She was able to do this but was told that if she hadn’t been able to prove this, the Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) would have legally been able to override her and withhold discharge.
Dorothy says that the first thing she did when got home from the hospital was to set up LPA. It had been on her list of things to do for years but this experience made her realise its importance. She says,
If there’s one regret I have it’s not putting power of attorney in place soon enough."