Latest figures on Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards in England are published

New statistics show the number of applications to legally deprive a person of their liberty, where they lacked the mental capacity to consent to care or treatment, in 2021-22.

NHS Digital has published the latest information on the use of Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS), a legal procedure when an adult who lacks mental capacity to consent to their care or treatment is deprived of their liberty1 in a care home or hospital to keep them safe from harm.

In England, all deprivations of liberty in a care home or hospital must be independently assessed and authorised by a local authority2 to ensure they are in the person’s best interests.

Mental Capacity Act 2005, Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards, 2021-22 – NHS Digital report provides information on applications for DoLS3, including:

• How many applications were received and completed by local authorities
• The time taken to process applications
• Reasons for applications not being granted
• Demographic information about people for whom a DoLS application was made
• The planned and actual duration of authorisations granted by local authorities

More detailed analysis of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards data is available at local, regional and national levels on request.

All of NHS Digital’s statistics on adult social care are available via the new Adult Social Care Data Hub, which includes links to the publications, dashboards and information about the data collections.

Read the full report: Mental Capacity Act 2005, Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards, 2021-22