Who we are

Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy

We can support people who aren’t able to make important decisions about their medical treatment, care, accommodation and some other circumstances – especially when they don’t have a family member or friend who can be there for them. When someone ‘lacks capacity’, we are in a position to represent their views to those who are working out their best interests.

Independent Mental Health Advocacy

Our specialist Independent Mental Health Advocates can support people who are detained under the Mental Health Act or are being treated outside hospital under a Community Treatment Order (CTO) or Guardianship, and those defined as ‘conditionally discharged restricted patients’. This includes helping someone understand their rights, ensuring those rights are defended, and that they can participate in decisions about their own treatment and care.

Independent Care Act Advocacy

When decisions are being made about the care and support someone needs, it’s really important they’re put at the centre of those decisions and have a voice, as they are the expert in their own life. If you’re not confident to speak up for yourself, if you’ll find it difficult to be fully involved, and you don’t have a family member or friend to help, a Care Act Advocate might be able to support you through the process.

Independent NHS Complaints Advocacy

We can help someone make a complaint against any NHS-funded service. Perhaps you feel that a provider has not treated that person with sufficient respect, has given the wrong care or treatment, did not help quickly enough or did not do enough to help. Or you may feel that a service was taken away sooner than it should have been.

Relevant Person Paid Representative

We can support people who have been detained under Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (part of the Mental Capacity Act), if they don’t have a relative or friend to represent them. Being detained in this way means specific freedoms are removed from an individual in their best interests, and assessment has concluded that they are not able to make important decisions about their own care and treatment. An advocate will then keep contact with the ‘relevant person’ so they are, as far as possible, aware of their rights to challenge the decision.

Community advocacy

Community advocacy might be offered when advocacy isn’t assigned to someone as a legal right. As with all advocacy services, it can support people who are facing important decisions that impact on their quality of life and independence, or have long-term implications. It helps people who would have substantial difficulty advocating for themselves and don’t have a family member or friend to support them. This means difficulty understanding, holding, using or weighing up information, as well as communicating views, wishes and feelings.

Self-advocacy

We can help people express their views and wishes, and ask the relevant professionals for the things that are important to them. This might mean building skills and confidence, helping someone to explore what they want, and then finding an effective way to communicate these things. Self-advocacy skills can be particularly important if an individual is going through an assessment or review, or if they’re unhappy about their medication, care or something else.

What we do

Our Advocacy Service supports individuals so they have a say in important and often difficult decisions about their treatment and care. 

This includes support with arrangements that could impact on their independence and quality of life.

Advocacy is having someone by your side, and on your side, when you want to be more involved in decisions about your care, treatment and living arrangements. An advocate can stand by you, and stand up for you, when important decisions are being made about your care, treatment and the way you live your life. They can help you understand your rights and options, and then support you in expressing your views and wishes to the relevant services. They can also speak up on your behalf if that’s what you want.

People often work with an advocate when they’re going through some kind of assessment or review of their care or treatment.

Rethink Mental Illness has many advocacy services across England, to find out more about what we offer in your area, please contact one of the hubs below: