Lasting power of attorney - Health and welfare

Compatible region(s): England Wales

If some day you are no longer able to look after your own health and welfare (i.e. your social and healthcare needs), a lasting power of attorney will give that power to another person, called your 'attorney'. Once the power comes into effect, your attorney (or attorneys) will have the legal authority to act on your behalf in matters relating to your health and welfare, subject to any restrictions you place on them. Your attorney(s) will only be able to act when you lack the capacity to do so yourself, for example, if you are ill, unconscious or because of the onset of a condition such as dementia.

You will need to register your LPA with the Office of the Public Guardian, who will charge a fee for this. It is usually a good idea to do this straight away or soon after, and if you do then you will only need the first of the 2 documents in this pack: 'LP1H Lasting power of attorney for health and welfare'. If however you want to delay registering it, you will also need to use the second document when you eventually want to register: 'LP1H Registration sections'.

In either case, you may also need form 'LP3 Notice of intention to register a lasting power of attorney', which is available separately.

These documents can only be used in England or Wales.

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LP1H Lasting power of attorney for health and welfare (Guidance Notes)
If some day you are no longer able to look after your own health and welfare (i.e. your social and healthcare needs), this document will give that power to another person, called your 'attorney'. Once the power comes into effect, your attorney (or attorneys) will have the legal authority to act on your behalf in matters relating to your health and welfare, subject to any restrictions you place on them. Your attorney(s) will only be able to act when you lack the capacity to do so yourself, for example, if you are ill, unconscious or because of the onset of a condition such as dementia.

You will need to register this document with the Office of the Public Guardian, who will charge a fee for this.

This document can only be used in England or Wales.
LP1H Registration sections (Guidance Notes)
You only need to use this form if you have used our 'LP1H Lasting power of attorney for health and welfare' (LPA) but did not want to register it straight away. In this case, sections 12-15 in your LPA will be blank. You can use this document to complete a fresh copy of those sections, and add them to your LPA in place of the blank sections. You can then send your LPA to the Office of the Public Guardian for registration (they will charge a fee for this). If your LPA already has sections 12-15 completed, you do not need to use this form.

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