Hello, I'm Sandra McDonald.
I offer mental capacity/incapacity advice and training, drawing on my experience as Public Guardian. I have also written a best-selling book on the 'Power of Attorney' The One-Stop Guide.
For 14 years (2004-2018) I was the Public Guardian for Scotland. The Public Guardian supports as well as supervises those appointed, under the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000, to administer the affairs of persons with incapacity. I hold qualifications in law, public sector management and nursing.
More about me
Specialist Advisory and Trustee Roles
Chair, the Dementia Trust.
Member of the Mental Health and Disability Committee, Law Society of Scotland.
Advisor, Action on Elder Abuse, Scotland.
Trustee, Lewy Body [Dementia] Society.
Advisor, Centre for Mental Health and Capacity Law, Edinburgh Napier University.
Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) Client Group
As Public Guardian my main client group were people with dementia and learning disability, but people with an acquired brain injury, or alcohol related brain damage, were common clients too.
Professionally therefore, I am familiar with the needs of people who require additional support with their decision-making, or indeed are unable to make decisions for themselves. I know too the assistance required for carers and the wider network of supporters, to ensure the individual is able to maximise their fullest possible potential.
I have personal caring experience, so appreciate first hand the myriad of pressures that one has to grapple with.
Professional Contacts
I have worked with Scottish Government, judges, solicitors, international jurisdictions, charitable groups, people with lived experience and their carers, adult support networks, health and financial sectors; the full range of people involved in the mental capacity arena.
Other Background
Immediately prior to my role as Public Guardian I was the Director for Marie Curie Centre Edinburgh, responsible for the delivery of the palliative care service, fundraising and volunteering.
I trained as a nurse, was a sister on an Intensive Care Unit, before moving to a specialist cancer nurse post. I undertook a public sector management diploma; several NHS management posts followed, during which time, in order to increase my academic achievement, I undertook a law degree and legal training, completing my NHS career as an in house legal advisor to a large university teaching hospital.
The Power of Attorney: The One-Stop Guide
Author of
All you need to know: granting it, using it or relying on it
One of the most powerful ways we can care for our future is to create a Power of Attorney. This allows an appointed person to support us, and if necessary to make decisions for us in the case that we can no longer do so ourselves. But what do you need to include in a power of attorney, what does it mean to be someone's attorney and what if things are going awry? This book answers all these queries and more.
Recent Contracts
(in alphabetic order)
AWI Advice
Provision of ad hoc specialist advice to various clinical and legal practitioners.
BBC Radio 4 Money Box Live
Live on air PoA advice. Not knowing what query you may get and having to formulate an immediate response. The challenge is in giving a succinct but clear answer, to complex issues, and to a caller who can often be distressed by their situation. I have had the pleasure (or not) of this somewhat terrifying experience on four occasions now.
Capacity Review
I was commissioned by the Scottish Mental Health Law Review to research and formally report on a range of matters relating to capacity; which, in part, informed the recommendations made.
Care Homes
I have worked with a number of care homes offering bespoke training for their staff.
Central Law Training
I have delivered a range of tailored courses for CLT – seminars and webinars both online and in person.
‘Let’s Talk About PoA’ Film launch
I was special advisor to the Dementia Trust ‘Let’s Talk About PoA’ Film. At the Film’s ‘premier’ I was a participant on a specialist discussion panel which accompanied the film’s launch.
Forth Valley Advocacy Service
Tailored advice covering AWI challenges specific to Advocacy workers.
Forth Valley Health and Social Care Partnership
To deliver in depth training on the use of 13ZA. To work with them to develop an associated AWI guidance compendium.
Glasgow GP Faculty
Bespoke online seminar for Glasgow General Practitioner faculty members and guests.
Home Instead
Over a number of years, I have offered the Scottish AWI and capacity training for this UK wide carer organisation.
Hospices
I have delivered specifically tailored courses to several hospices across Scotland.
Local Authorities
I have been commissioned by a number of local authorities to deliver bespoke training to their social and care staff.
Policy Hub Scotland
In partnership with Policy Hub Scotland I have developed a range of on demand video content. This commenced with a generic AWI video but has evolved such that there is now dedicated material for specific groups. More information can be found here.
Scottish Government: AWI reform
I acted in a consultancy capacity to the Scottish Government Adults with Incapacity Act Reform Team before this was subsumed into work of the Scottish Mental Health Law Review.
Scottish Mental Health [and Incapacity] Law Review
I acted in a consultancy capacity to the Scottish Mental Health [and Incapacity] Law Review [the Scott review] specifically to support their work on AWI and capacity.
Scottish Independent Advocacy Alliance
I have delivered repeat sessions, over a number of years, on AWI advanced awareness specifically tailored for Independent Advocates
Solicitor Masterclasses
I have delivered bespoke masterclasses to a number of key solicitors firms, for example, Blackadders, Brodies, Caesar and Howie and Turcan Connell.
STAND Fife
This charity which ‘Strives Towards A New Day’ for those living with dementia and their supporters, invited me to speak about the effective use of a PoA.
STEP
I have been invited to speak at the STEP Spring conference on a number of occasions, most recently in 2023.
VOCAL
Provision of two sessions to this carers organisation focusing on POA from first the granter and then the attorney point of view.
World Congress on Adult Capacity
I was the de facto project lead for the successful World Congress on Adult Capacity which was held in Edinburgh in June 2022. This saw 274 delegates from all over the world come together, for the first time for many since we had been separated by a global coronavirus pandemic. There was an atmosphere of excitement which continued to buzz throughout the entire event. The congress delivered, “against ridiculous odds” as one delegate put it, receiving impressive feedback.
Please speak to me if you think I can support your teams’ needs. We can have an honest conversation about what I can offer.