client logo
Version: 1.0.0 | Published: 16 Oct 2025 | Updated: 23 days ago

Mental Capacity Act 2005, Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards

Dataset

Documentation

Description:
These official collection of statistics provide findings for England from the Mental Capacity Act 2005, Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) annually. DoLS are a legal framework applying to individuals who lack the mental capacity to consent to the arrangements for their care. Where such care may amount to a "deprivation of liberty" the arrangements are independently assessed to ensure they are in the best interests of the individual concerned.
Spatial Coverage:
England
Data Use Limitations:
NO RESTRICTION

Coverage

Spatial

Geographical Levels:
  • country
  • region
  • unitary authority

Temporal

Start Date:
01 April 2009
Frequency:
ANNUAL

Provenance

Source:
The data is collected from local authorities in England, who are the supervisory bodies for authorising deprivations of liberty of adults in care homes and hospitals.
Purpose:
The aim of this publication is to inform users about aspects of DoLS activity, including the profile of people for whom a DoLS application was received, applications completed and their outcome, and applications not completed.
Collection Situation:
Care homes and hospitals

Access and Governance

Usage

Data Use Requirements:
NO REQUIREMENTS

Access

Data Controller:
NHS England

Format and Standards

Languages:
ENGLISH
Data Format:
Unstructured text

Additional Information Governance

Confidentiality Risk:
Low risk
Availability Risk:
Low risk
Integrity Risk:
Low risk