A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is a legal document that allows you to appoint one or more people — known as your ‘attorneys’ — to make decisions on your behalf if you ever lose the mental capacity to do so yourself.
There are two types:
– Property & Financial Affairs LPA — covers your bank accounts, bills, benefits, investments, and property.
– Health & Welfare LPA — covers decisions about your medical care, living arrangements, and day-to-day wellbeing.
Many people assume an LPA is only needed later in life, but any adult can lose mental capacity unexpectedly at any time — through a serious accident, stroke, sudden illness, or a mental health crisis. You must have mental capacity at the time you create an LPA.
Chartwell offers a dedicated LPA service for employees at a significantly reduced cost of £350 (covering both LPAs), acting as your Certificate Provider and handling submission to the Office of the Public Guardian.
