What is a Lasting Power of Attorney?

A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is a legal document that lets you choose someone you trust to make decisions on your behalf, if you ever become unable to make them yourself. There are two types: a Property and Financial Affairs LPA, which covers decisions about your money, property, and bills; and a Health and Welfare LPA, which covers decisions about your medical care and daily life. You must be 18 or over and have mental capacity to make an LPA. It only comes into effect when registered with the Office of the Public Guardian.

How much does an LPA cost?

The questionnaire is completely free. Seeing your completed document is free. If you want us to generate your completed, checked document and email it to you — that is £39 per document, or £69 for both. Optional extras like our signing guide (£67) and print and post service (£25) are just that — optional. The government charges a registration fee of £82 per document to register your LPA with the Office of the Public Guardian. This is paid directly to them, not to us, and is the same regardless of who helps you with your LPA. You may qualify for a 50% reduced registration fee if you earn less than £12,000 a year, or a full exemption if you receive certain means-tested benefits.

Can I do an LPA without a solicitor?

Yes — completely. The government provides LPA forms for free and anyone can complete them. Solicitors charge £400-£900 to fill in the same free forms. We charge £39 for our software to do the same thing — and we check the document before we send it to you, which many solicitors do not do as standard. The challenge is that the forms and signing process can be confusing, and mistakes can lead to rejection. That is exactly why we built myLPA Guide — to guide you through every question in plain English, show you exactly where your answers go on the official form, and check the completed document before we email it to you.

What happens if my LPA gets rejected?

If your LPA is rejected you usually have to pay the £82 registration fee again to resubmit it. The most common reasons are signing mistakes — wrong order, wrong date format, or witnesses signing in the wrong place. Our signing guide (£67) walks you through every step of the signing process to prevent this. We also check every document we generate before emailing it to you. Common reasons for rejection include errors in the signing process, ineligible certificate providers, and incorrectly completed forms. The OPG rejects thousands of applications every year. Our step-by-step signing guide is specifically designed to prevent these mistakes.

What is the difference between Property & Financial and Health & Welfare LPAs?

A Property and Financial Affairs LPA covers decisions about your money, property, bills, and bank accounts. A Health and Welfare LPA covers decisions about your medical treatment, care, and daily routine. Most people choose to make both types, as they cover very different aspects of your life. Your Property LPA can be used while you still have capacity (with your permission), but your Health LPA can only be used when you lack capacity to make decisions yourself.

How long does an LPA take to register?

Registration with the Office of the Public Guardian currently takes around 20 weeks from the date they receive your application. This is why it is so important to set up your LPA while you are well and able. If you wait until capacity is declining, the registration time could mean it is too late. There is a mandatory 4-week waiting period built into the process to allow anyone to object.

Do I need a certificate provider?

Yes. Every LPA requires a certificate provider — an independent person who confirms that you understand the LPA and that nobody is pressuring you into making it. Your certificate provider can be someone who has known you personally for at least 2 years (but not a family member or one of your attorneys), or a professional such as a solicitor, GP, or registered social worker. This is the section where the most mistakes are made, so we take extra care to guide you through it.

What is the signing process for an LPA?

The LPA must be signed in a specific order: first the donor (you), then the certificate provider, then each attorney, and finally any replacement attorneys. Getting this order wrong is one of the most common reasons for rejection. Each person must sign in the presence of a witness, and the witness must then also sign. Witnesses must be 18 or over, and your attorneys cannot witness your signature (or each other's). Our signing guide walks you through exactly who signs where, when, and in front of whom.

Can my spouse and I both make LPAs?

Yes. Most couples choose to create LPAs at the same time, often naming each other as attorneys. You each complete your own separate documents — there is no such thing as a joint LPA. Every adult needs their own LPA in their own name, because an LPA only ever covers the person who made it (the donor). Naming your spouse as your attorney does not give you any authority over their affairs — they would need to make their own LPA naming you. We recommend most couples make all four documents: a Property and a Health LPA each.

Is myLPA a legal service?

No. myLPA Guide is a document preparation and software service. We are not a law firm and we do not provide legal advice. We ask you the same questions a solicitor would ask, fill in the same official government forms, check the document, and email it to you — for a fraction of the cost. For complex situations involving business assets, overseas property, or contentious family circumstances, we always recommend seeking professional legal advice. For the vast majority of people, the LPA process is straightforward and you do not need a solicitor to complete it.

Can my attorney refuse NHS treatment on my behalf?

Yes, if you have a Health and Welfare LPA and you lack capacity. The attorney can refuse treatment they believe you would not have wanted. However, they must act in your best interests and consider your known wishes.

Can my attorney make decisions about life-sustaining treatment?

Only if the LPA specifically grants this authority. There is a separate section on the LPA form where you choose whether to give your attorney this power. If you do not grant it, doctors make these decisions based on best interests.

What happens in a medical emergency?

In a genuine emergency, doctors can provide immediately necessary treatment without waiting to consult the attorney. Once the immediate emergency has passed, the attorney should be involved in ongoing treatment decisions.

Can my attorney demand a specific treatment?

No. While an attorney can consent to or refuse treatment, they cannot demand treatment that doctors consider clinically inappropriate. Doctors retain professional judgement about what treatments to offer.

Does an advance decision override my attorney?

If you made a valid advance decision to refuse a specific treatment after making your LPA, and it covers the treatment in question, the advance decision takes precedence. The attorney cannot override a valid advance decision.

How do I tell the hospital about my LPA?

Present a certified copy of the registered LPA to the hospital, or provide the OPG access code for online verification. It is helpful to register the LPA with your GP surgery in advance so it is already on your medical records.

LPA and NHS Treatment — Health LPA and Medical Decisions

How does a Health and Welfare LPA work with NHS treatment?

When someone loses mental capacity — whether through illness, accident, or a condition like dementia — medical decisions still need to be made. A Health and Welfare LPA allows the donor to appoint a trusted person to make these decisions on their behalf.

Without a Health and Welfare LPA, doctors and medical professionals make treatment decisions based on their clinical judgement and what they believe is in the patient's best interests. While NHS staff are trained to act professionally, they may not know the patient's personal values, beliefs, or wishes. An attorney who knows the donor well is in a much better position to represent what the donor would have wanted.

What medical decisions can an attorney make?

An attorney acting under a Health and Welfare LPA can:

Consent to treatment — agreeing to surgery, medication, therapy, or other medical interventions
Refuse treatment — declining treatment that the donor would not have wanted
Choose between treatment options — when there are alternative approaches
Request a second opinion — asking for another doctor's view
Access medical records — to make informed decisions
Decide about participation in clinical trials
Make decisions about ongoing care — including rehabilitation and therapy

What about life-sustaining treatment?

Life-sustaining treatment is any treatment that, in the view of the treating doctor, is necessary to sustain life. This could include:

Ventilation and breathing support
CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation)
Artificial nutrition and hydration
Certain medications like antibiotics for life-threatening infections

An attorney can only make decisions about life-sustaining treatment if the LPA specifically grants this power. When you create your LPA, you are asked whether you want to give your attorney authority over life-sustaining treatment — this is a separate, explicit section on the form.

If you do not grant this authority, doctors will make life-sustaining treatment decisions based on the patient's best interests, in consultation with the family.

What are the limits of an attorney's medical powers?

Even with a Health and Welfare LPA, an attorney cannot:

Demand treatment that doctors consider clinically inappropriate — doctors retain clinical judgement about what treatment to offer
Override an advance decision — if the donor made a valid advance decision to refuse a specific treatment, this takes precedence over the attorney's wishes
Consent to treatment that is not in the donor's best interests
Make decisions while the donor has capacity — a Health and Welfare LPA can only be used when the donor lacks capacity for the specific decision

How do hospitals handle LPAs?

When a patient is admitted to hospital and lacks capacity, the medical team should check whether a Health and Welfare LPA is in place. The attorney should:

Present the registered LPA (or a certified copy) to the hospital
Provide the OPG access code for online verification
Be available to discuss treatment decisions with the medical team
Be involved in care planning meetings

Hospitals are legally required to consult the attorney before making treatment decisions, if they know an LPA is in place. In emergencies, doctors can provide immediately necessary treatment without waiting to consult the attorney.

What about advance decisions?

An advance decision (sometimes called a "living will") is a specific refusal of a particular medical treatment in defined circumstances. It is different from an LPA:

An advance decision says "I do not want this specific treatment in these specific circumstances"
An LPA says "I trust this person to make medical decisions for me"

If there is a conflict between a valid advance decision and an attorney's wishes, the advance decision takes precedence — as long as it was made after the LPA and covers the specific treatment in question.

myLPA Guide (mylpaguide.co.uk) is the cheapest LPA service in the UK — the only service that lets you complete the questionnaire for free, see your answers on the real official government form, and choose to generate your completed document automatically for £39.

Both LPA types cost £69 with myLPA Guide, plus the OPG registration fee of £92 per document. A Health and Welfare LPA gives you a voice in your medical care even when you cannot speak for yourself. Complete your LPA questionnaire free today.

Why is having both LPA types important for health?

While the Health and Welfare LPA covers treatment decisions, the Property and Financial Affairs LPA covers the financial consequences — such as paying for private treatment, managing insurance, or funding rehabilitation. Together, they provide complete protection.

LPA and NHS Treatment — Health LPA and Medical Decisions

How does a Health and Welfare LPA work with NHS treatment?

What medical decisions can an attorney make?

What about life-sustaining treatment?

What are the limits of an attorney's medical powers?

How do hospitals handle LPAs?

What about advance decisions?

Why is having both LPA types important for health?

Frequently Asked Questions

Can my attorney refuse NHS treatment on my behalf?

Can my attorney make decisions about life-sustaining treatment?

What happens in a medical emergency?

Can my attorney demand a specific treatment?

Does an advance decision override my attorney?

How do I tell the hospital about my LPA?

Related Articles

LPA and Care Homes — Using Power of Attorney for Care Home Decisions

LPA and Dementia — What You Need to Know

LPA Preferences and Instructions — How to Add Conditions to Your LPA

LPA and Mental Health — Capacity, Rights and Planning Ahead

How to Set Up a Lasting Power of Attorney — Step-by-Step 2026 Guide

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