A happy ending (mostly): the new Lasting Power of Attorney system

Back at the turn of the decade, I wrote about the absurdly complicated paperwork required to take out a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA):

I’ve no doubt that it was well intentioned people who supported the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and its provisions (in England and Wales) for people to be able to lay down instructions on what should happen if they are no longer able to make decisions for themselves.

Having a clear legal framework in which people can specify who can make decisions about their health, welfare and financial affairs is a good idea. It needs to balance letting people decide what they want to happen and protecting vulnerable people against others misusing powers over their lives. Some bureaucracy and paperwork is therefore inevitable – and more than that, welcome.

And yet, look at the paperwork involved…

I’ve ended up with a huge bundle of paperwork, including two guidance booklets that firmly inform me I must read them first before proceeding. That’s 88 pages for starters.

Lasting Power of Attorney paperwork, as it used to be

But as I mentioned last year, the Government Digital Service (aka the best government team you’ve not heard of) was getting stuck into simplifying the process as part of making it available online.

So a happy footnote to all this: there is now a much simpler, better online system for Lasting Powers of Attorney – and a reminder of how with the right team behind it, technology really can make things cheaper, better and more accessible.

The lessons of broken political accountability and faulty legislation behind the original LPA mess, however, are still there to be learnt.