King's College London

Emerging findings from the Unit’s study on the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) were presented and discussed today at Pathway’s Faculty for Homeless and Inclusion Health – Mental Health Subgroup Meeting. The event brought together practitioners working across homelessness, inclusion health and mental health services and was chaired by Dr Jenny Drife, consultant psychiatrist in a community mental health team for people sleeping rough and author of Pathway’s recent policy paper on Mental Health and Homelessness. Around 70 people attended today's meeting.

HSCWRU Research fellow Jess Harris introduced the MCA study, which examines attitudes to, and the execution of, mental capacity assessments with people experiencing homelessness and multiple disadvantage. The study, on which Pathway is a collaborator, recently published a blog about a roundtable at which invited experts reflected on emerging findings. It will publish its findings and practice guidance in 2026.