Capacity Matters is a specialized consultancy led by Dr. Andy Barker, offering expert mental capacity assessments across a wide range of legal and personal decision-making domains. With a distinguished 25-year career as a Consultant Old Age Psychiatrist and extensive experience as a Court of Protection Special Visitor, the practice stands out for its authoritative, clinically-informed evaluations tailored to complex legal contexts.
Dr. Barker brings a wealth of expertise from senior national roles and has completed hundreds of legal reports, frequently attending court as an expert witness in England, Wales, and Scotland. The service is designed for solicitors, families, and individuals requiring clear, defensible assessments of mental competency, with a focus on older adults and those involved in Court of Protection proceedings. Assessments are conducted at a location convenient to the client, including homes, solicitor offices, or the practitioner’s home office in New Milton.
Services Offered
- Mental capacity assessments in all domains
- Capacity to manage finances
- Completion of COP3 forms
- Capacity to make Lasting Powers of Attorney
- Capacity to make gifts
- Capacity to make a Will, including retrospective assessment
- Capacity to act as executor – PA14 form
- Capacity for care and residence (DOLS)
- Capacity to marry
- Expert mental capacity assessment and court testimony
Services are available across England, Wales, and Scotland, with appointments offered during business hours and weekends by prior arrangement. Dr. Barker’s recognized for his long-standing role as a Special Visitor with the Court of Protection and his contributions to national organizations in the field of old age psychiatry.
