A NHS Trust v ST [2023] EWCOP 40

Belief and capacity "The issues for determination at this hearing are ST’s capacity (i) to litigate and (ii) to make her own decisions in relation to future medical treatment. The Trust’s intention is to move to a treatment plan of palliative care. ... In terms of the functional test of capacity, a person’s ability to understand, use and weigh information as part of the process of making a decision depends on him or her believing that the information provided for these purposes is reliable and true. That proposition is grounded in objective logic and supported by case law in the context of both the common law and the interpretation of MCA 2005. ...In this context, and in terms of a patient-centred approach, it is important in my judgment for the court to consider the extent to which the information provided to a person is capable of being established objectively as a “fact” or a “truth”. The less certain the fact or truth, the more careful the court must be when determining whether the presumption of capacity is rebutted."