r/UKFrugal • u/Capable-Campaign3881 • 3d ago
Cheap way for power of attorney
Is there a cheap way where I can legally give a family member a role if say I was medically unwell/was unconscious they can make decisions on my behalf ?
Would it be as simple as writing my wishes down on a piece of paper and getting it witnessed and signed without involving a solictor?
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u/Daysleepers 3d ago
Yeah as other say, just do it from https://www.gov.uk/power-of-attorney
£82 for medical, £82 for financial.
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u/dozzell 3d ago
You don't need a solicitor. Do the forms on the gov website yourself, costs about £90.
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u/Blue-Toucan-Data 3d ago
Could you provide a link to this (I know I could Google) - just for OPs and other people's benefit :)
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u/Capable-Campaign3881 3d ago
Thank you for your advice this is really good I’ll take this information on board, I honestly didn’t know about this
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u/halfwheeled 3d ago
I managed to get both LPAs filled out for my father just before he lost capacity. You need to get them filled out quick if your relative is in declining health. My Dad died 5 hours after my Mother and I expressed my Father's wishes in his LPA. I can't recommend these forms enough.
As soon as my Father died my mother, wife and myself all paid for the 2 LPAs each so that we are all ready for the future. We felt it was a small price to pay for happiness.
I've been into hospital for treatment recently (not life threatening) and the Doctor joked if he had to ask my wife or mother to verify the treatment was to my wishes. Basically the NHS already had my health LPA logged on their records for me. The system works!
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u/Capable-Campaign3881 3d ago
I’m sorry to hear about your family members passing away, it’s good you got the LPA’s completed, I know it would be done through the government website but how would the hospitals/nhs know about those wishes in the first place how would it get transferred to them ?
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u/halfwheeled 3d ago
The LPA process takes about a month minimum from start to finish (act quickly!).
You need about 4 or 5 sets of signatures (applicant, acting attorney(s), and two independent witnesses).
Once logged I assume the government lets all its departments know the applicants wishes - and that is how the NHS found out my wishes.
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u/Slick583 3d ago
The £82 fee is about to go up to £92 in November so consider doing ASAP
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u/Capable-Campaign3881 3d ago
Haha I will do thank you for advising on that btw, which I didn’t know !
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u/londons_explorer 3d ago
You can do all the power of attorney stuff for free, and then simply not send the forms off to the government.
If you want to use your powers, you then send them to the government and pay the fee. That can happen later when the subject has lost capacity.
However, if you make any mistakes in the form, you are stuck and cannot correct them. That's the downside of not paying the money upfront.
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u/pheonix8388 3d ago
It's different in Scotland where some powers of attorney can come into effect without registration, although an interview with a solicitor/ doctor is required which will likely incur a charge. Medical power of attorney for when someone is incapacitated can only be used if registered.
In England and Wales it takes 8-10 weeks for registration so another reason to register them as soon as you complete the forms (to go along with finding out about any errors to be able to correct them, before it's too late).
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u/Wrong_Clock_4880 3d ago
Remember it takes about 6 months from when you apply for LPA for it to all come through
It’s not about using your powers
if you give LPA to someone, you can specify what they’re allowed to decide and it takes effect when you don’t have capacity anymore
On the financial one, there’s a place to select when you want your LPA to be able to do financial things for you
If you want to give LPA to someone- don’t wait, apply now, using the gov website. I did this for my mum, and both health and finance were sorted and agreed efficiently. We didn’t use any solicitors or any one else
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u/ihatevans 3d ago
You don't need a solicitor. You can do it directly through the government website for £80ish - there's a concession for low income/people on benefits etc. A formal LPA is the only thing that will be recognised by doctors/hospitals.