Latest Lasting Power of Attorney Amends

A modernisation process of rules and regulations surrounding Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) has been announced by the government to strengthen the process and move it into the modern era.

The method of managing a loved one’s affairs, LPAs have been criticised in the past with a Which? survey finding widespread confusion about the process and the desire for improvements.

What is an LPA?

A Lasting Power of Attorney is a legal document that allows a person to agree to handle decisions about the health, welfare and financial affairs of another person who is unable to do so in the future.

Operated by the Office of Public Guardian (OPG), the process includes a number of forms that need to be completed before being registered with the OPG, with the latter taking potentially a further 20 weeks to complete.

Our reforms will make the system easier to access, simpler and even more secure from fraud. This forms part of our plans to harness technology across government and provide better services to the public.

Justice Minister Tom Pursglove MP

What will the new reforms achieve?

The new changes will see the current system transformed, with people able to complete an LPA online from start to finish. Other changes include making the process easier to interact with for the user, reduce errors and speed up the registration process, offer new safeguards, and improve the witnessing process.

Increased safeguards

One of the major improvements to the service will see increased use of safeguarding to protect vulnerable people from abuse or fraud. As part of a more robust verification process, there will be the need for official identification documents

New online service

Taking the service online will also drastically cut down on the heavily paper-based process, with the OPG handling more than 19 million pieces of paper annually, as they process approximately six million LPA applications.

The digital switch will also target errors from donors, attorneys, and others involved in the process by ensuring early detection and correction which in turn lessens waiting times.

Share this article