COVID-19 will ‘paralyse' the system of Deprivation of Liberty safeguards (DoLS), says the organisation for legal and governance council officers.

Under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 DoLS require six assessments from a range of healthcare professionals before compulsory admission to a care home or hospital. But the Coronavirus Act allows a single medical practitioner to make an application if the ‘recommendation of two practitioners is impractical'.