Manthorpe Jill, Samsi Kritika
Social Care Workforce Research Unit, King's College London, London, UK.
Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2015 Apr;30(4):384-92. doi: 10.1002/gps.4147. Epub 2014 May 30.
Implemented in 2007, the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 codified decision-making for adults unable to make decisions for themselves in England and Wales. Among other changes, two new offences of wilful neglect and ill-treatment were created under Section 44. Our study explored how the MCA was being implemented in community-based dementia care, focusing on frontline practice.
Using qualitative longitudinal methodology, we interviewed 279 practitioners, in the London and South-East area of England, two or three times over 3 years. We applied framework analysis to identify and delineate recurrent themes.
Views of the new offences were positive overall, but understanding ranged from partial to non-existent among some participants.
Clinicians may be increasingly called upon to provide advice on whether an alleged victim or perpetrator lacks decision-making capacity in cases of suspected elder abuse. They need to be aware of the new criminal offences to ensure that people with dementia, among others, are not abused and that abusers are brought to account.
《2005年精神能力法案》（MCA）于2007年实施，将英格兰和威尔士无法自行做决定的成年人的决策过程进行了编纂。除其他变化外，第44条新增了两项故意忽视和虐待的新罪行。我们的研究探讨了MCA在社区痴呆症护理中的实施情况，重点关注一线实践。
我们采用定性纵向研究方法，对英格兰伦敦和东南部地区的279名从业者进行了为期3年的两到三次访谈。我们应用框架分析来识别和描绘反复出现的主题。
总体而言，对新罪行的看法是积极的，但一些参与者的理解程度从部分了解到完全不了解不等。
在涉嫌虐待老年人的案件中，临床医生可能会越来越多地被要求就被指控的受害者或犯罪者是否缺乏决策能力提供建议。他们需要了解新的刑事罪行，以确保痴呆症患者等群体不被虐待，并追究施虐者的责任。
