I am a registered Occupational Therapist, and Mental Capacity Advocate, with specialist experience working with the Mental Capacity Act (2005), including the delivery of training and bespoke assessments for complex cases. I am also a registered expert witness and qualified Best Interest Assessor.
My passion for helping people has given me a wide range of experiences, not just within work and study environments, but as a volunteer as well, having supported Wildwood, after school clubs, church youth, Umbrella, Kent Association for the Blind and others. Within each of these roles I have taken on board different transferable skills, including; time management, team skills, independent working, documentation, communication, ethical application, safe working and many more.
Highlights within my work have included working at the Royal National Institute for Deaf People, where I supported their home’s centenary anniversary celebrations; which involved a large garden party with prizes that were donated from a range of shops, invitations to the mayor and a BBQ by our inhouse chefs.
Then within my role at Sevenscore, I was actively supporting and taking on a range of projects to support the team, our patients and my CPD. This included a research project into Talking Mats as a communication aid, development of a reminiscence room, pets as therapy and speaking at the KMPT conference. Feedback from my line manager and colleagues was highly positive, with an open invitation to return to the ward. During this time I also completed the Edward Jenner leadership programme.
More recently, I have been privileged to further develop my understanding, skill set and practical skills surrounding Mental Capacity; both through a private specialist company, TSF consultants, as well as through The Advocacy People on top of my own personal research. This has included Mental Capacity Act discussions, promoting upholding the five core principles with family members and professionals on a clients behalf, challenging assessments, assessing capacity for specific decisions, such as Lasting Power of Attorney, placement and personal hygiene and support, as well as attending Best Interest meetings.
This has led me to a strong desire to support people’s understanding and application of the Mental Capacity Act, in order to uphold an individual’s rights, safeguard decisions and ensuring the Best Interest of a person is maintained, if found to lack capacity for a specific decision. Therefore, working closely with my brother Dr Mike Ryder who is a business and digital marketing expert, I have started to develop resources and materials to provide training and consultancy around Mental Capacity to care homes, supported living and other venues.