Lasting Power of Attorney - why so expensive and why isn't everyone nudged to do one?

[housemonkey]

My parents have been filling in their LPAs, which are inherently useful and mean that it's clearly set out what they want done in case of serious illness. In their case, they don't want anything at all.
https://www.gov.uk/power-of-attorney/make-lasting-power
But why on earth is it such a ball ache and why on earth does it cost £92??
If my grandmother had filled one of these out, it would have saved the NHS literally hundreds of thousands of pounds for an utterly joyless extra month in her nineties that she didn't want.
But these forms are complicated (they're on it and organised, but have struggled) and not everyone has £92 lying around! Why aren't they readily available (and you could just be referred by eg your GP if it was something you were interested in?). It's crazy! I totally understand that not everyone would want one (and that's obviously fine), but if you are, it should be straightforward and free.

True. By 'combined', I meant the application form - I'm sure it could be a single form but with two 'dates', if you see what I mean.

The health and welfare one only comes into play when the donor loses capacity and since my mum lost hers medical professionals have assumed my brother and I have one anyway even though each time we have said we only have the financial one. We've both been able to consent to mum having flu and Covid jabs and also to go to hospital for a minor procedure.

Also if you're talking about expressing a wish that you don't want to be resuscitated etc. you don't need an LPA for that, there's a form you can get from the GP. So IME Health LPAs are pointless and I wouldn't bother getting one for myself. Financial ones OTOH are pretty important.

When we did our 20 odd years ago they were running a half price offer (it may have been when it changed from EPA to LPA). I now need to do mine again but will do so as soon as I get organised!
I think a bit of advertising & a half price offer for a limited time would boost uptake enormously.

Having negotiated the care and management of two frail elderly stubborn in laws and the nightmare of care home placement, house sale and untangling of complete financial mess to wade through when the one still living is completely incompetent, I think they are worth every single penny.

We had the H and W one for my relative, but really, it didn’t make much difference. The medical professionals advice always seemed to be how anything was decided.
The finance one though, is essential.

It's not covered by legal aid or NHS services. How much do you think an hour of a GP or a lawyer is worth? £92 is a freaking good deal.

If he's DNR what more would you want? Active euthanasia? Hopefully no one is going to kill him just because he's old and infirm whatever the POA says.

So my basic research suggests that 6% of the UK has a health LPA in place, which is tiny. The commenters here show a staggering naivety about a significant percentage of people's financial situation. £92 for something that ultimately could save the NHS thousands but is financially inaccessible for a lot of people is crazy. One in ten people don't have any savings at all. Somebody on £12,500 is not going to spend £92 on a health LPA. Do commenters not understand that the office of the public guardian is publicly funded? ie it all ultimately comes out of the same pot as the NHS. I am totally baffled by these responses. If I was in charge, this would be as standard as eg registering for being an organ donor. If everyone had an LPA in place, it would save a vast amount for the NHS and social care. Mind-blowing how people can't understand that the whole point of nudge politics is to get people to do something now that ultimately saves money down the line.

He's DNR now but he hadn't thought to register in advance of his health crisis (which came fairly out of the blue in his early sixties). If he had done the LPA as standard, none of this would have happened.

Yes, but why not? Given that it saves the NHS a fortune down the line? £92 to save the nation the gazillions my father's care has cost is a freaking good deal, no?

You are being very, very unreasonable to suggest that £92 is an excessive cost for such an important legal document.

I'm baffled you're saying it's important but not realising now is an excellent time to organise them, whilst you're fit & well.

We've used the in-laws LPA extensively.

Two visits to the GP....why???

My inlaws have just done theirs and me and dh have too....nothing to do with GP!

As I have now said repeatedly, can you genuinely not see that if people could do it for free, it would save the NHS and social care vast sums? Do you genuinely not understand it comes from the same pot? If the gov essentially funded the LPA, there could be a register where you would know instantly who wants what care. At the moment, my parents are being told to keep the information in their fridge (??) because that is where paramedics look.

I'd do it immediately if it was free and straightforward. As I have said repeatedly, can I be faffed to do a ton of paperwork followed by spending £92? Not right now. Which is literally my point throughout. And almost certainly why only 6% of people have an LPA. Why do you think 94% of people don't have LPAs, out of interest?

Because that is what two sensible 70 somethings thought they should do. Almost like it's confusing or something. As I said in my very first post.

DH and I registered LPAs about a year ago, for both health and welfare and financial. Neither of us needed to see the GP. I don't quite understand why your parents needed to involve a GP.

Me neither! But they're sensible 70 somethings, so you are literally making my point for me. I'm not doing it because I'm forty-something and have more urgent things to do with £92. They've screwed up doing it because they're seventy something and it is not straightforward. Why do you think 94% of people don't have a health LPA?

You are blurring two things OP

An Advanced Directive (AD) and Health and Welfare LPOA are not the same thing, although directions about life sustaining treatment can be included in a H&W LPOA an AD is a much clearer statement of wishes and will be treated as such by medical professionals in the kind of scenario you are describing.

A H&W LPOA generally allows the nominated people to make decisions about things like covid jabs, whether carers can go in at home or to agree to a care home admission etc. It's more about formalising the day to day decisions that people often assume they have anyway as next of kin. Many medical staff treat the next of kin as if they have LPOA for H&W anyway even if they don't.

If your parents had strong feelings about resuscitation then they should have completed an advanced directive.

can I be faffed to do a ton of paperwork

People who can't be faffed to do a ton of paperwork will find a different excuse not to do it if it's free.

People don't do it for the same reason they don't bother sorting out wills - they don't want to think about their own old age/mortality. The £92 is a red herring here.

It's actually quite reasonable really for such an important document.

My parents did theirs through their solicitor to save (me) the hassle, which cost considerably more!

You don't always need poa for health, the doctors can make emergency decisions to preserve life, few would expect any poa to make a final decision on their own. A dnar, respect form, advance directive can all be made free and lodged with GP and hospitals.

Where do you get your figures from, people in their 40s suffer life changing illnesses, injuries and not all survive. Age has nothing to do with planning for health, finances, property and a will.

I have sorted my will though! Which again disproves your point.

Yes, but it does mean different priorities.