Court of Protection Webinar: Recent Developments in Health and Welfare

This webinar discussed the last 12 months' developments in law and practice in health and welfare in the Court of Protection, aimed at busy practitioners in the field, covering case law and other developments in the law on capacity, best interests, deprivation of liberty and the inherent jurisdiction for vulnerable adults. District Judge John Beckley joined us to share some of his perspectives on recent developments in law and practice.

Please click here to view the presentation slides.

Helen Curtis, Garden Court Chambers (Chair)
Helen Curtis is an established Court of Protection practitioner instructed by relatives of P or by P’s litigation friend whether the Official Solicitor, an ALR or an advocacy service. Due to her mediation skills,  Helen is often instructed in complex cases where there is a high degree of conflict between family members and health and social care services. Equally, Helen undertakes cases where capacity issues intersect with the operation of the Mental Health Act or across geographical borders.

Bethan Harris, Garden Court Chambers
Bethan Harris is an experienced practitioner specialising in housing law, community care law and Court of Protection. She brings her wealth of expertise in all these areas to complex cases which often include consideration of public law principles, equality and discrimination and capacity issues.

Bethan appears frequently in the Court of Protection. Her work includes emergency applications, deprivation of liberty issues, local authority safeguarding duties, personal welfare applications, contested appointments of financial/health and welfare deputies, complex care packages. She covers some property and financial affairs matters. Bethan acts for litigation friends, local authorities and family members. She is a member of the Equality and Human Rights Commission's panel of counsel.

Ollie Persey, Garden Court Chambers
Ollie represents P in complex health and welfare cases and is frequently instructed by the Official Solicitor. Ollie is committed to ensuring that P is fully able to participate in proceedings. Ollie is learning British Sign Language (‘BSL'), which is improving his understanding of the barriers faced by Deaf people. He is a volunteer litigation friend in the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) for Migrants Organise and was formerly a trustee of the Elfrida Society, a small charity that supports individuals with learning disabilities.

Ollie is developing a specialism in urgent medical treatment cases due to his expertise in health and social care matters, including HIV/AIDS treatment (he was a contributing editor of Professor Scott Skinner-Thompson’s textbook, AIDS and the Law), vaccinations and end of life care. 

Current and recent cases concern:

• Capacity to make decisions regarding special educational provision in an Education, Health and Care Plan (‘EHCP’)
• Long-term residence for a young person whose supported living arrangements broke down following allegations of carer abuse
• Best interests decisions regarding COVID-19 vaccination
• Best interests decisions regarding end of life care
• Best interests decisions where placements had repeatedly broken down due to allegations of P sexually abusing other residents