What do you think are the key issues here?

• The Mental health Act cannot be used to force the man to wash.
• The fact the man is making a choice that may be seen as unwise does not in itself indicate a loss of capacity.
• The man does have a right to his personal choices. However, he does not have the right to adversely affect the well-being and lives of the other residents by his lack of hygiene.

If you were the community nurse, what might you need to consider?

• If the man does not wish to wash he can be discharged from the home on the basis he is adversely affecting the quiet enjoyment of the other service users which he does not have a right to.
• The objective is not to try to get the man to wash, the objective is to support the man to an outcome that works for him.