The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has reported that The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) is taking an average of 82 days to register lasting powers of attorney (LPAs) in England and Wales. That’s more than double the OPGs official target time. This can leave people in a difficult position whilst they wait. Here’s some ways in which you can help your clients by alleviating the stress of the delays.
Is your client about to go abroad or need someone to deal with their affairs whilst they have a planned stay in hospital? If so, they may need someone to deal with their finances or property in the short term whilst their LPA for Property & Financial Affairs is being registered. Might they benefit from putting a general power of attorney in place, authorising another person to deal with such matters? This could cover all their financial affairs or be limited to a specific transaction. Arken Professional allows you to tailor the document exactly to your client’s instructions.
By drafting a general power of attorney for your client you’ll be providing an easy way to minimise the disruption caused by the OPG delays.
Given the importance of the decisions which can be made under a Health & Welfare LPA, the registration delays will inevitably worry some clients. If your client has clear views on the treatment they would or would not want to receive if they had lost mental capacity, they could put an Advance Decision in place alongside their LPA. This can provide a client with peace of mind that their wishes will be respected. And as the Advance Decision does not have to be registered it can provide comfort to clients whilst they wait for their Health & Welfare LPAs to be registered. You can quickly and easily draft Advance Decisions, tailoring them to your client’s wishes and referring to their LPA, using Arken Professional.
Contact us for more information.