Introduction : anatomy of the Mental Capacity Act and its terms -- Background to the legal system and the Mental Capacity Act -- Human rights and statutory principles for governing decision making -- Definition of mental capacity -- Making decisions in the best interests of others -- Lasting powers of attorney -- Court of Protection, court appointed deputies, the Office of the Public Guardian and visitors -- Independent mental capacity advocates -- Advance decisions -- Research -- Protection of vulnerable adults and accountability -- Children and young persons -- Mental capacity and mental disorder -- Deprivation of liberty safeguards (DOLS) -- Organ and tissue removal, storage and use -- The informal carer -- Implementation, resources, and code of practice -- Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland -- The future.