Lasting power of attorney forms have changed

Lasting power of attorney (LPA) legal documents allow the applicant to appoint someone they know and trust to make decisions about their health and welfare or financial affairs if they were to lose mental capacity in the future.

As of June 2015, new LPA forms have been implemented as a result of a government consultation with two aims: to make them easier to follow and faster to complete. The requirement for a second certificate provider has also been removed, though other safeguards remain the same. The new LPA forms complement the existing online LPA service.

To ease the transition, old and new forms will be accepted between 1 July 2015 and 1 January 2016.

The number of applications for lasting powers of attorney has increased significantly in recent years. 242,000 were registered between 2012 and 2013, 295,000 in 2013 to 2014, and 394,000 in 2014 to 2015.

For more information, go to gov.uk

See also: A guide to powers of attorney