At Ramsdens, our Private Client, Court of Protection and Mental Health Solicitors assist people with all varieties of mental impairment living in a myriad of different circumstances.

Whilst most of us can create or change a will as and when we please, this is not so easy for somebody who does not have capacity to do this for themselves.

This week we have been supporting the charity Brake in their road safety awareness week. Brake carry out amazing work and aim to promote road safety generally but with a specific focus in November on road safety week; this years campaign is Think Bike.

“Every day in the UK, five people die on roads and about 60 more are seriously injured” There is no escaping the fact that road traffic collisions change lives, not only for the people involved but for the families and support networks that surround them. Brake are a charity that carry out amazing work in promoting road safety awareness including running Road Safety Week every November. However, the reality is that road collisions do happen and we need to be prepared to deal with the aftermath.

As important as it is to consider preparing documents, such as Lasting Powers of Attorney, to ensure that your finances and health decisions are kept in order should you no longer be able to look after your own affairs, it is equally important to ensure that you have the right people in place to do so.

The World Federation for Mental Health established World Mental Health Day on 10 October 1992 and this years campaign is centered around ‘young people and mental health in a changing world.’

As Part of National Road Victim Month, Robyn Mayoh, Court of Protection Solicitor at Ramsdens has been looking at the impact of injuries on decision making.

A recent freedom of information request has revealed that the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) carried out over 40% more investigations in the 2017/2018 financial year in to the actions of attorneys and deputies compared with the previous year. These investigations take place when there are allegations or concerns of abuse of such roles.