Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA)

An Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA) is a legal document that lets an adult (the ‘donor’) appoint one or more people (known as ‘attorneys’) to either help them make decisions or to make decisions on their behalf.

This gives the adult more control over what happens to them if, for example, they have an accident or an illness and can’t make decisions at the time they need to be made.

To note: The Enduring Power of Attorney was been replaced by the Lasting Power of Attorney under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Only Enduring Powers of Attorney that were registered prior to October 1st 2007 are still legal. After this date the adult would have needed to register a Lasting Power of Attorney.