Powers of Attorney Solicitors

Advance Care Planning - Lasting Powers of Attorney, Enduring Powers of Attorney, Advance Decisions, Advance Statements

For many people with progressive conditions such as dementia, there will come a time where you are not able to make decisions when they need to be made. We all have the right to make medical decisions about our medical treatment and to refuse treatment on a temporary or permanent basis. 

You can plan ahead to ensure that your wishes and instructions are followed at a time when you lack mental capacity, and this can be through Advance Statements, Living Wills (“Advance Decisions”), but most commonly through a Lasting Power of Attorney.

Lasting Powers of Attorney (“LPAs”)

A Lasting Power of Attorney (“LPA”) is a legally binding document that allows you (“the donor”) to appoint trusted person(s) (“attorneys”) to act on your behalf when you are unable to do so. It provides a solution to the practical issues that arise when you are unable to make decisions yourself and gives you more control over what happens to your affairs at a time when you lack mental capacity. 

In order to create an LPA you will need to be over 18 and have mental capacity. There are two different types of LPAs, which can be created at any time. Firstly, a “Property and Financial Affairs” power allows your attorney to deal with your bank accounts, to pay the bills, and to buy and sell your house. Secondly, a “Heath and Welfare” power allows your attorney to make decisions on medical treatment including life-sustaining treatment, where you should live and your daily routine. You can choose to make one type or both.

Before an LPA can be used it must be registered by the Office of the Public Guardian (“OPG”), and a fee paid which is currently £82 for each type, although you may be eligible for a fee reduction if your financial circumstances permit. The registration process takes up to 8-10 weeks and so we advise that the application is made as soon as possible. 

Once the LPA has been registered, the attorney can start to act for you under your direction whilst you still have the capacity, or make decisions in your best interests when you lack mental capacity. The “Health and Welfare” power can only be activated in situations where you have lost capacity. You can cancel your LPA at any time but you must have the mental capacity to do so.

Enduring Powers of Attorney (“EPAs”)

An Enduring Power of Attorney (“EPA”) is an old-style form which has been largely replaced by LPAs. 

An EPA is a legally binding document that appoints an attorney to help manage your property, money and financial affairs when you are unable to make a decision. It is limited only to your financial affairs and so it is not a document which covers your health and welfare affairs. 

Once an EPA has been signed and completed it cannot be subsequently amended, but you can cancel it and replace it by making an LPA. 
If the person who made the EPA starts to lose capacity, the appointed attorney(s) must register the EPA. This will involve notifying the person affected, their family members and other attorneys that you intend to register the EPA.

We are here to help

Watkins Solicitors are here to advise and help you to prepare these important documents to cater towards your individual circumstances. For further information about making an LPA, an Advance Decision, or registering an EPA please contact the team on 0117 9390 350 or email info@watkinssolicitors.co.uk.

If you are needing assistance for someone who does not have in place an Advance Decision, EPA, or LPA and no longer has mental capacity, we can help you in applying to the Court Of Protection for a Deputyship Order if appropriate. Contact us on 01179 390 350 or email info@watkinssolicitors.co.uk.

Alternatively, you can complete your enquiry through our online enquiry form.