Lasting Power Of Attorney Health And Welfare

A Lasting Power of Attorney Health and Welfare is a straightforward and cost-efficient way of ensuring any decisions relating to your medical treatment and welfare will be made by people you love if you are rendered incapable of making them for yourself.

At Birch & Co, we regularly assist clients who are considering making a Lasting Power of Attorney Health and Welfare. We will ensure you fully understand and are happy with the impact of your Lasting Power of Attorney Health and Welfare and prepare a document that accurately reflects your wishes and intentions.

Reach out to Birch & Co’s specialist and supportive team today. Call us on 0191 284 5030 or complete a Free Online Enquiry.

“Not in any way intimidating. Their positive attitude takes the stress out of situations.” (Ms A Scott)

What Is A Lasting Power Of Attorney Health And Welfare?

When you make a Lasting Power of Attorney Health and Welfare, you choose people you trust to make decisions about issues relating to your health and welfare should there be a time when you can’t make those decisions for yourself.

As the person passing control, you are known as the ‘donor’. The people you appoint to make decisions on your behalf are called ‘attorneys’.

Is A Lasting Power Of Attorney Health And Welfare Purely A Medical Power Of Attorney?

Most people are keen to put a Lasting Power of Attorney Health and Welfare in place to ensure their loved ones can make life or death decisions on their behalf if they lack the capacity to make those decisions for themselves.

However, Lasting Powers of Attorney Health and Welfare are not purely medical powers of attorney; they also cover other issues, such as your daily routine, what you like to eat, and your personal hygiene preferences.

What Issues Can A Lasting Power Of Attorney Health And Welfare Cover?

As we have explained above, a Lasting Power of Attorney Health and Welfare isn’t solely a medical power of attorney. It can cover a broad range of health and welfare issues, including the following:

Whether you should move into a care home.
What should happen during your daily routine, including washing, dressing, and eating.
What medical treatment you should receive.
What, if any, life-saving medical interventions you should receive, such as a blood transfusion or resuscitation after a heart attack.

How Does A Lasting Power Of Attorney Health And Welfare Work?

Your Lasting Power of Attorney Health and Welfare is your document, and it can work as you wish. For example, you might want to hand complete control over to your attorneys and allow them to decide everything relating to your health and welfare. Alternatively, you might prefer to use your Lasting Power of Attorney Health and Welfare to explain how you’d like your attorneys to deal with specific issues and the decisions they should make.

Most people assume a Lasting Power of Attorney Health and Welfare will automatically pass the power to make decisions regarding life-saving medical interventions to their attorneys. This is not the case. Unless you expressly state in the Lasting Power of Attorney Health and Welfare that your attorneys are to make all decisions of this nature, the power will lie with your medical team. Any uncertainty regarding your intentions on this issue will result in your attorneys being unable to make the decisions. Accordingly, ensuring your Lasting Power of Attorney Health and Welfare is clear and unequivocal on this point is essential.

When Does A Lasting Power Of Attorney Health And Welfare Take Effect?

A Lasting Power of Attorney Health and Welfare does not take effect when you make and register it. It will only come into play as and when something happens that renders you unable to make decisions regarding your health and welfare for yourself.

Sometimes, a person can lose the ability to make their own decisions in an instant. For example, someone who is involved in an accident and ends up in a coma cannot make decisions about the treatment they should receive, so their attorneys will make those decisions on their behalf.

Other times, a person can lose the ability to make their own decisions slowly. There may be a time when they can some simple decisions, like what they want to eat, but not other, more complex decisions, like what medical treatment they wish to receive. In these cases, their attorneys will step in to make the decisions the donor can’t, and give them a hand in making those they can but may struggle with.

How We Can Help With Lasting Powers Of Attorney Health And Welfare

The importance of the role played by Lasting Powers of Attorney Health and Welfare cannot be overstated. Thinking about a time when you’re unable to make your own decisions can be uncomfortable, but taking proactive steps to implement measures to ensure those you love can take control of the decisions relating to your health and welfare will give you peace of mind that your wishes will be respected, and that any decision will be taken with your best interests in mind.

At Birch & Co, we have vast experience advising clients on their options when putting a Lasting Powers of Attorney Health and Welfare in place. We will ensure you understand the effects of your Lasting Powers of Attorney Health and Welfare, and we will prepare a document that accurately records your intentions. We will take care of all the registration requirements, so you can be sure that everything is as it should be and your Lasting Powers of Attorney Health and Welfare will protect your interests should there be a time when it is needed.