They came in under the Mental Health Capacity Act 2015, and they are a very valuable document and one worth considering in terms of your own succession planning.
Definition and Purpose of Advanced Healthcare Directives
An advanced healthcare directive is a legal document which sets out your will and preference with regard to any health care or medical treatment you may require or refuse in the future. In the event that you don’t have the capacity to articulate those wishes yourself with the advanced Healthcare directive, you can appoint a designated healthcare representative, and this individual will be responsible for ensuring that your wishes, either for specific treatment or refusal of specific treatment in those scenarios, is complied with.
Minor Formalities and Ease of Setup
There are some minor formalities required when setting up an advanced healthcare directive. They’re nowhere near as onerous as those required for creating an EPA. And it’s a very useful and worthwhile document and we would advise all clients to consider making one.
Information and Consultation Process
If you do want more information on this, please email in and we can send you an initial questionnaire that sets out some basic questions and should help you formulate some of your own thoughts. And once we’ve got this back, we can then get you in for an appointment to talk through various options and considerations.
