Lasting Power of Attorney
Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA)
All LPA information including how to apply can be found on the Government website:
Newly registered with an already existing LPA? Or are the Attorney for a patient with an LPA? Please contact the surgery so we can update our records accordingly.
About LPAs
A lasting power of attorney (LPA) is a legal document that lets you (the ‘donor’) appoint one or more people (known as ‘attorneys’) to help you make decisions or to make decisions on your behalf. This gives you more control over what happens to you if you have an accident or an illness and cannot make your own decisions (you ‘lack mental capacity’).
There are 2 types of LPA:
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Health and Welfare
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Property and Financial Affairs
You can choose to make one type or both. Your LPA will be legally binding only in England and Wales.
There’s a different way to make a power of attorney if you need one that:
You must be 18 or over and have mental capacity (the ability to make your own decisions) when you make your LPA. You do not need to live in the UK or be a British citizen to make an LPA.
LPAs and your Healthcare provider:
As your GP surgery we only need to be informed if you have a Health and Welfare LPA. It is important to let everyone involved in your care (e.g. GP surgery, Care home, Hospitals) know that you have an LPA to ensure your healthcare provider is aware of who to contact on your behalf (This can be done by providing a copy of your LPA to organisations involved in your care)
If you are newly registered with an existing LPA this may not have transferred to our system so please let our friendly reception team know so we can review your records accordingly (we will request a copy for our records if one does not exist already).
Have an LPA for one of our registered patients? Please contact our friendly reception team and we can review our records to ensure you are listed on our system (we will request a copy of the LPA if one is not already on our system). We will need to know if the LPA is currently active (see 'When your LPA comes into effect').
What is a Health and Welfare LPA?
Use this LPA to give an attorney the power to make decisions about things like:
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your daily routine, for example washing, dressing, eating
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medical care
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moving into a care home
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life-sustaining treatment
It can only be used when you’re unable to make your own decisions.
When your LPA comes into effect (Health and Welfare):
A Health and Welfare LPA can only be used when you lack the mental capacity to make a specific decision for yourself. Capacity is not an all-or-nothing state. You may be unable to understand a complex surgical choice but still be perfectly capable of deciding where you want to live or what you want to eat. Attorneys can only step in for decisions once you can no longer make decisions for yourself.
What we are doing as a practice:
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We are reviewing our patient population to ensure there are no gaps in our records of patients that may have an LPA already in place.
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We are raising awareness of LPAs and how this relates to the healthcare we provide
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We are raising awareness of the importance of letting us/your healthcare providers know you have an LPA already in place.
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Sharing knowledge of what the Government recommendations are for LPAs (All government information can be found here: Make, register or end a lasting power of attorney. Including:
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An overview.
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Choosing your Attorney.
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Making an Lasting Power of Attorney.
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Register a Lasting Power of Attorney.
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Certify a copy of a Lasting Power of Attorney.
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Changes you need to report.
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Removing an Attorney and ending your Lasting Power of Attorney.
Page last reviewed: 15 June 2026
Page created: 15 June 2026
Page created: 15 June 2026
