The first annual report of the Office of the Public
Guardian shows more people are making powers of attorney -
setting out what should happen to their financial and health
matters should they lose mental capacity - than ever before
Figures show:
* Nearly three times more people have applied to register their
Lasting Power of Attorney (LPAs) than in previous years.
* The number of applications to the Court of Protection for a
finance or health and welfare decision have significantly exceeded
expectations.
* Nearly three times more investigations into the actions of
deputies and attorneys compared to last year.
* More than 50 applications made to the Court of Protection by
the Public Guardian in cases where there are concerns about a
deputy or attorney.
The Public Guardian and Chief Executive, Martin John, said: "The
introduction of the Mental Capacity Act has resulted in a high
volume of applications to register Powers of Attorney, a sign
that people are increasingly thinking about and planning for
their futures.
"Due to the unexpected and considerable demands on our services,
we are continually improving our processes and deploying our
staff to help manage the workload. We expect to see a return
to our published standards over the summer period.
"We will continue to work closely with customers and stakeholders
to make sure that we can deliver the service they expect."
LPAs were introduced by the Mental Capacity Act 2005 from 1 October
2007. They allow individuals to appoint Attorneys to look after
their property and financial affairs (a Property and Affairs
LPA) and also to make health and personal welfare decisions (a
Personal Welfare LPA) when they lack the capacity to make these
decisions themselves in the future. The Attorney(s) can only
use the LPA after it has been registered with the Office of the
Public Guardian.
