Adult Social Care Glossary, v 0.6

The Mental Capacity Act 2005 introduced the role of the independent mental capacity advocate (IMCA).

IMCAs are a legal safeguard for people who lack the capacity to make specific important decisions: including making decisions about where they live and about serious medical treatment options. IMCAs are mainly instructed to represent people where there is no one independent of services, such as a family member or friend, who is able to represent the person.