A Health & Welfare LPA allows the person or persons appointed (called the attorneys) to make decisions on your behalf about your health and welfare, if there comes a time when you are unable to make those decisions for yourself. Health and welfare decisions could include decisions regarding appropriate medical treatment, about where you live, your day to day care plan – including your diet, and any other care needs you might have. It can also give your attorneys the right to have a say about life sustaining treatment should that become necessary.
A Health & Welfare LPA can work in conjunction with a Living Will if you have already made one. If you do not have a Living Will, it is a good idea after you make your Health & Welfare LPA to discuss it with your attorneys to make sure they are familiar with your wishes, or you may wish to include a letter of wishes with your LPA to guide them if it becomes necessary.
To make a Health & Welfare LPA contact A R K and we will guide you through the simple process. We will take your instructions (currently due to Covid-19 restrictions, this would be by telephone or video call) and then we will prepare the documents for you and send them out to you and your attorneys for signature. Before an LPA can be used, it must be
registered by The Office of the Public Guardian. We can submit LPAs for registration on your behalf (and we do not charge extra for completing the application paperwork). There is an additional fee charged by The Office of the Public Guardian which is currently £82 per LPA (this can be less if you are on certain means tested benefits or if your annual gross income is
less than £12,000). Once an LPA has been formally registered it is ready to be used whenever you may need it.
A Health & Welfare LPA gives you and your family peace of mind that you would have someone acting in your best interests if you became very unwell; someone who knows and cares about you, and who would be able to advise medical professionals to ensure you would be looked after the way you would want to be.