Social workers failed Scottish man with alcohol-related brain damage

The Mental Welfare Commission has found that social work and health services failed to intervene enough in the case of an elderly Scottish man who had suffered alcohol-related brain damage.
 
In a report today, the MWC said social work and housing departments at an unnamed council did not pay enough attention to Mr H’s mental function and capacity to make decisions when organising services for him.
 
Mr H, who was in his mid-70s, had been known to social services and health agencies for more than 20 years, mostly because of his alcohol-induced offending and accommodation problems.

He was eventually placed under the guardianship of the authority in 2004 after concerns were raised that he was being abused by one of his children.
 
The MWC suggested that authorities should consider intervening at an earlier stage to assess capacity under the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 .

The Mental Welfare Commission also recommended that authorities should improve their assessment, management and sharing of information about people with ARBD, offer staff more training in the field, and audit how they deal with clients with alcohol problems.