04/06/2026
Recently in a client meeting I was asked the following: ‘I get why I should have an LPA for Property and Financial affairs, but I am not clear why I should also have the one for Health & Welfare?’
Well, here is my take on the value of a Health & Welfare LPA
“A Health & Welfare Lasting Power of Attorney is about control, certainty, and protecting your voice when you can no longer communicate it yourself.”
In practical terms, its value comes down to three key areas:
1. Control over your care and medical decisions
A Health & Welfare LPA allows you to legally appoint someone you trust to make decisions about your care, treatment, and living arrangements if you lose mental capacity.
That includes:
• Medical treatment (including consenting to or refusing treatment)
• Where you live (e.g. remaining at home vs. moving into care)
• Day-to-day care and wellbeing (food, routine, personal care)
➡️ Without it, these decisions default to doctors or social services, not your family.
2. Ensuring your wishes are respected
It’s not just about who makes decisions — it’s about how those decisions are made.
• You can document preferences and instructions (e.g. care at home, specific treatments)
• Your attorney is legally required to act in your best interests under the Mental Capacity Act 2005
• It gives someone the ability to advocate for you in real-time situations, not just follow a static document
➡️ In short, it ensures your values and beliefs guide decisions, even when you cannot express them.
3. Reducing stress, delay, and conflict for loved ones
A major part of the value is what it avoids:
• Family members do not automatically have legal authority without an LPA
• Decisions can be delayed or disputed without clear authority in place
• In some cases, families may need to apply to the Court of Protection — which is time-consuming and costly
➡️ With an LPA, your family has clarity, authority, and confidence at a difficult time, rather than uncertainty and stress
4. It preserves autonomy — not removes it
key reassurance points
• A Health & Welfare LPA only comes into effect if you lose mental capacity
• You remain fully in control while you can make your own decisions
➡️ So it’s not about giving up control — it’s about deciding in advance who steps in, if ever needed.
“The real value of a Health & Welfare LPA is that it ensures the right person can make the right decisions, in line with your wishes, at the exact moment you’re no longer able to do so yourself.”
For more information:
📩 [email protected]
📞 07950 028245
