1. Environment: consider where is the best place for the person to have their mental capacity assessed. Could it be done at home? If in hospital, which is the quietest or best room or area?

2. Timing: consider the best time of day for the person to have their mental capacity assessed. A person’s medication or health condition may mean they are less alert early in the morning.

3. Reduce a person’s pre-appointment anxiety by sending them information about what to expect when they arrive, and in the right format for them. This should include directions, using visual aids such as pictures if needed, and information about the location and the team they will meet.

4. Support people to prepare for the mental capacity assessment – for example, remind them they can bring things like fidget spinners, communication aids, comforting objects and ear defenders for use before and after their appointment.

5. Provide accessible information, for example, Easy Read, plain English, videos, posters, leaflets to support the conversation, ensuring the needs of people with different communication preferences and abilities are met.

6. Sometimes it can be helpful to give the person information over a period of time. 

7. Allow extra time for the assessment so that you are not rushed and can give the person the time they need to respond.

8. Allow family members or carers to stay with the person and be involved in the assessment. They may help you best communicate with the person and interpret what they say, as well as helping the person to remain calm or to speak up if they are not feeling confident.

9. Take particular care to speak clearly and plainly, avoiding medical jargon when giving information and asking questions. Use communication supports where appropriate (for example, symbols, pictures, Makaton signs, technology). Check that the person has understood what you have told or asked them.

10. When explaining procedures or interventions, spend time demonstrating the equipment or take the person round the ward or theatre so they can get used to the environment. Give the person enough time to think about the information so they can make an informed choice. Some people may also need extra time to make a decision through with the people they trust and who help them to make other decisions about their life, for example a parent or a friend.