How to make a Lasting Power of Attorney for health and welfare
The LP1H gives your chosen attorneys the authority to make decisions about your personal care and medical treatment when you cannot make those decisions yourself.
Unlike the property LPA, it can only be used when you lack capacity — your attorneys cannot override a decision you are currently capable of making.
The most important and often-missed section is Section 5, where you decide whether your attorneys can make decisions about life-sustaining treatment.
This walkthrough covers every section with a plain-English explanation of what you are agreeing to.
✓ Official source checked 24 September 2026 · GOV.UK last revised this form 20 April 2026LP1H on GOV.UK ↗
United Kingdom·Informational, not legal or financial advice·Official source: GOV.UK
✓Official form · always current
This is the same official LP1H file Office of the Public Guardian publishes on GOV.UK — the link below fetches the current version live from GOV.UK the moment you click it, so it can never go out of date.
Current version: April 2026 · confirmed on GOV.UK 24 September 2026
This walkthrough takes LP1H field by field, in plain English. Most of the form mirrors the property LPA; the part that decides everything is Section 5 — whether your attorneys can make decisions about life-sustaining treatment, and what it costs to leave that box blank.
A blank Section 5 means attorneys cannot make decisions about life-sustaining treatment — they can manage care and welfare but are excluded from the most critical medical decisions.
This is the most important section to read and consciously complete.
The form, in summary
The LP1H form, in summary.
Valoren
LP1H·20 pages·50 fields guided
With Valoren50 minutes
Without Valoren2–3 hours
most of the complexity is in Section 5 — life-sustaining treatment
Deadline
~8 to 10 weeksOPG registration before use (apply well early)
Who Files
The donorattorneys, cert. provider, and Section 5 (if used)
A Health and Welfare LPA allows nominated attorneys to make decisions about personal welfare — where the donor lives, daily care, medical treatment, and social activities.
Critically, it can only be used when the donor lacks capacity to make the specific decision at that time.
It cannot be used while the donor retains capacity for that decision.
The LPA is invalid until registered with the OPG.
An Advance Decision to Refuse Treatment (living will) made by the donor overrides any Health and Welfare attorney's decision on that specific treatment.
Section by section
The form, section by section.
At a glance
Lasting Power of Attorney — Health & Welfare
Who files
The donor
attorneys, cert. provider, and Section 5 (if used)
Filed with
OPG
Deadline
~8 to 10 weeks
OPG registration before use (apply well early)
Fee
£92
OPG registration (remissions available)
Sections 1–4: donor, attorneys, replacements, and instructions
Section 1 — The donor
Section 2 — The attorneys
Section 3 — Replacement attorneys
Section 4 — Instructions and preferences
Section 5 — Life-sustaining treatment (read this carefully)
Option A — Attorneys can make life-sustaining treatment decisions
Option B — Attorneys cannot make life-sustaining treatment decisions
·Who Files — The donor completes the form; the attorney(s), certificate provider, and (if Section 5 is completed) the donor all sign
·20 pages · 50 fields guided
Section01
§1-41-4
Section 1-4
Sections 1–4: donor, attorneys, replacements, and instructions
Sections 1–4 of the LP1H are structured the same as the LP1F: your personal details, your attorneys' details, any replacement attorneys, and your instructions and preferences.
The same rules about decision-making (jointly / jointly and severally), eligible attorneys, and certificate providers apply. The critical difference from the LP1F comes in Section 5.
Particularly important for Health and Welfare where decisions may need to be made quickly.
04
Section 4 — Instructions and preferences
You can give binding instructions or advisory preferences about your care.
Common examples: 'I wish to remain at home for as long as it is safe to do so' (preference) or 'Attorneys must not consent to any care arrangement at [named care home]' (instruction).
Consider including your religious or cultural preferences about medical treatment, diet, and end-of-life care — attorneys need this context to make decisions that reflect your values.
Sections 1–4 of the LP1H are structured the same as the LP1F: your personal details, your attorneys' details, any replacement attorneys, and your instructions and preferences.
Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) · LP1H❦
Section02
§55
Section 5
Section 5 — Life-sustaining treatment (read this carefully)
Section 5 is unique to the LP1H and is the most important section to understand.
It asks whether you want your attorneys to be able to consent to, or refuse, life-sustaining treatment on your behalf.
This includes decisions such as whether to continue or withdraw a ventilator, tube feeding, CPR, or other treatment that is keeping you alive.
If you leave this section blank, your attorneys have no authority over life-sustaining treatment decisions.
01
Option A — Attorneys can make life-sustaining treatment decisions
If you want your attorneys to have this authority, you must complete this section by drawing a cross through the statement as instructed.
This grants your attorneys the power to make life-sustaining treatment decisions on your behalf, in your best interests.
Doctors and healthcare providers will then consult your attorneys before proceeding.
This is the option most people choose.
02
Option B — Attorneys cannot make life-sustaining treatment decisions
If you leave Section 5 blank, or if you specifically tick the box indicating attorneys cannot make this decision, your attorneys have no authority over life-sustaining treatment.
In that case, doctors would follow standard medical practice and next-of-kin consultation — your attorneys would not have a formal decision-making role on this specific point.
03
Relationship to an Advance Decision
An Advance Decision to Refuse Treatment (sometimes called a living will) is a separate document.
If you have made an Advance Decision that is valid and applies to a specific treatment, healthcare professionals must follow it even if your attorneys say otherwise — the Advance Decision overrides the LPA attorney's authority on that treatment.
If you have both, make sure they are consistent.
04
Why this section is commonly missed
Section 5 requires active completion — it does not have a default 'yes' option.
If a donor misses it (thinking it doesn't apply, or assuming attorneys automatically have this power), the OPG registers the LPA without life-sustaining treatment authority.
This cannot easily be corrected later without making a new LPA.
Section 5 is unique to the LP1H and is the most important section to understand.
Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) · LP1H❦
Section03
§66
Section 6
Certificate provider and notification
Sections 6 and 7 of the LP1H cover the certificate provider and people to notify — identical in requirements to the LP1F.
The certificate provider independently confirms the donor's understanding and consent; people to notify receive the OPG's registration letter.
01
Certificate provider requirements
Same as LP1F: either someone who has known the donor personally for two years (not family, not an attorney, not a paid carer), or a regulated professional (solicitor, GP, registered nurse, registered social worker, care home manager).
They certify the donor understands the LPA and is acting freely.
02
People to notify (optional)
Up to five people the OPG writes to when registration starts, giving them three weeks to raise concerns.
Adds roughly four weeks to the registration timeline but provides a safeguard.
Not required.
Sections 6 and 7 of the LP1H cover the certificate provider and people to notify — identical in requirements to the LP1F.
Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) · LP1H❦
Section04
§77
Section 7
Signatures — the required sequence
Identical to the LP1F: the OPG requires a specific signature order. Donor first, then certificate provider, then attorneys. Incorrect order means the form is invalid and must be re-done.
01
Donor signs first
The donor signs in front of an independent witness (not an attorney, but family members are acceptable witnesses here).
The witness signs to confirm they saw the donor sign.
02
Certificate provider signs second
Only after the donor has signed.
Signs their certification section, confirming the donor understands the LPA and is acting freely.
03
Attorneys sign third
Each attorney signs separately in front of a witness (not the donor, not another attorney).
Replacement attorneys also sign here.
All attorneys must sign before the form is sent to the OPG.
04
Sending to OPG
Send the completed, signed form with the £92 fee (cheque to 'Office of the Public Guardian' or bank transfer with OPG reference).
The OPG sends all parties a notice when registration starts.
Registration takes approximately 8 to 10 weeks.
Identical to the LP1F: the OPG requires a specific signature order. Donor first, then certificate provider, then attorneys. Incorrect order means the form is invalid and must be re-done.
Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) · LP1H❦
Many people file LP1H themselves — that is what this walkthrough is for. If the situation behind it has stopped being simple — an objection raised, a donor whose capacity is questioned, a Court of Protection application in view — Signum, Valoren’s own specialist desk, can take it on, and we say so plainly: it starts with a free intake, and if you do not need us, we will tell you. Prefer an independent adviser? STEP and the Chartered Institute of Taxation both keep public member directories, and neither pays Valoren a referral fee.
FAQ
LP1H questions, answered.
It creates a Health and Welfare Lasting Power of Attorney — it gives the attorneys you name the authority to make decisions about your personal welfare (where you live, day-to-day care, medical treatment, and social activities) if a time comes when you cannot make a specific decision yourself.
It is made under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (ss.9-14).
You (the donor) complete the form.
Then a specific signature order applies: you sign first in front of a witness, the certificate provider signs second to confirm you understand the LPA and are acting freely, and each attorney signs third in front of a witness.
If you complete Section 5, you also sign that section.
Signing out of order makes the form invalid.
Only after two things are true: the LPA has been registered with the Office of the Public Guardian, and you lack the capacity to make the specific decision at the time it needs to be made.
It cannot be used while you can still make that decision yourself.
Because of this, there is no filing deadline — but OPG registration currently takes around 8 to 10 weeks, so the practical advice is to register well before it is ever needed (check the current OPG timescale before you send it).
Registration with the OPG costs £92 at the time of writing.
Fee remissions or exemptions are available if you are on certain means-tested benefits or a low income.
Fees change periodically — confirm the current figure on GOV.UK before you send the form.
Your own identity and contact details; the full name, date of birth, and address of each attorney and any replacement; the certificate provider's details; any existing legal instruments that interact with it (a will, an earlier LPA, or an advance decision); and the care, religious, cultural, and medical preferences you want recorded so your attorneys understand your values.
It has no default 'yes' — you have to actively complete it to give your attorneys authority over life-sustaining treatment decisions.
If it is left blank, the OPG still registers the LPA, but your attorneys are excluded from those decisions, and it cannot easily be corrected without making a new LPA.
If you are unsure how Section 5 interacts with an advance decision (a living will), check the Office of the Public Guardian's guidance and consider professional advice.
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Where this fits
LP1H is one form. The file behind it is the rest.
Forms are easier when the records are ready.
For LP1H, that means your existing legal instruments (any will, earlier LPA, or advance decision), your identity and certificate details, the medical and care context your attorneys would rely on, and the names and details of the attorneys and certificate provider who have to sign.
For the household where a parent is ageing and an LPA is not yet registered — the planning conversations your family needs to have, in one place. Caring for a Parent — £79 →
Office of the Public Guardian (OPG)·50 fields·£92 to register with the OPG (fee remissions available for those on means-tested benefits)·50 minutes with Valoren
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