Keeling Amanda
School of Law, University of Leeds, Leeds, England.
Nurs Stand. 2016 Mar 23;30(30):38-44. doi: 10.7748/ns.30.30.38.s45.
The Mental Capacity Act 2005 is used to assess a person's decision-making ability and to make a best interests decision where the individual lacks the capacity to do so. The act was considered to have the potential to maximise the autonomy of individuals with mental or cognitive impairments, but this has not been fully realised. Since the act came into force, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has challenged many of the principles underpinning the act. That challenge and how existing provisions in the act can be implemented to increase autonomy and control for people with cognitive or mental impairments are discussed. The principles of the convention are described and potential future amendments to the law are identified.
《2005年精神能力法案》用于评估个人的决策能力，并在个人缺乏决策能力时做出符合其最大利益的决定。该法案被认为有潜力最大限度地提高有精神或认知障碍者的自主权，但这一点尚未完全实现。自该法案生效以来，《联合国残疾人权利公约》对该法案所依据的许多原则提出了挑战。本文将讨论这一挑战以及如何实施该法案的现有条款，以增强认知或精神障碍者的自主权和控制权。文中描述了该公约的原则，并确定了未来可能对该法律进行的修订。
