LP1H explained

What it covers

• Where you live, including a move into a care home.
• Day-to-day care: diet, routine, dress, social contact.
• Medical treatment and consent, within the limits you set.
• Complaints about your care, and access to your medical records.

It can only be used once you cannot make the decision yourself. There is no 'use it now' option, unlike LP1F.

Section 5: life-sustaining treatment

Neither answer is right or wrong. Option A suits people with strong views who trust their attorney to hold the line; Option B suits people who would rather clinicians decide. Whichever you choose, tell your attorneys what you would want.

Preferences worth including

• Where you would like to be cared for, and where you would rather not.
• Religious, cultural or dietary requirements.
• Who you want kept informed and involved.

Preferences are wishes; instructions are binding. Get the distinction right — see preferences and instructions and the health and welfare LPA page.

Worked example: choosing Option A or B

David, 74, is completing LP1H after a heart diagnosis. He appoints his wife Angela as his sole attorney, with his son Michael as a replacement. Angela already knows David does not want prolonged ventilation with no realistic chance of recovery, and David trusts her to hold that line under pressure from well-meaning relatives. He ticks Option A, giving Angela the power to consent to or refuse life-sustaining treatment on his behalf, and writes a short preference recording his wishes so Angela has something in writing to point to. His neighbour Frank, by contrast, would rather his doctors made that specific call using their clinical judgement and ticks Option B — his attorney can still make every other health and welfare decision.

Section 6 and telling people

Health and welfare decisions often affect a wider family than financial ones. Naming siblings or adult children in section 6 means they receive an LP3 notice and three weeks to object before registration, which can prevent disputes surfacing only after a crisis. It is optional, and many donors leave it blank because they trust their chosen attorneys, but families with a history of disagreement often find it worth the extra step.

Getting the form right

Our service walks you through section 5 with plain-English explanations of both options, checks your attorneys and certificate provider for eligibility, and produces the completed LP1H ready for signing alongside your financial LPA if you are making both.

Common questions

Read next

• LP1F explained: the financial LPA form, section by section
• LPA preferences and instructions: what you can and cannot say