Advance Decisions
Decide now which treatments you wouldn’t want.
An Advance Decision to Refuse Treatment, sometimes called a living will, lets you refuse specific medical treatments in advance, in case you can’t make or communicate the decision yourself later.
Making it valid
What it needs
You must be 18 or over and have the mental capacity to make the decision. It should be clear about which treatments you’re refusing and in what circumstances.
If you want to refuse treatment that could keep you alive, the law sets extra requirements.
Refusing life-sustaining treatment
- It must be in writing.
- It must be signed by you, or by someone else in your presence at your direction.
- Your signature must be witnessed.
- It must include a statement that it applies “even if life is at risk”.
With a Lasting Power of Attorney
How it fits with a Health and Welfare LPA
A Health and Welfare LPA lets people you trust make decisions for you. An Advance Decision records decisions you’ve already made about specific treatments.
If you have both, the order matters. A later LPA that gives your attorneys power over the same treatment can override an earlier Advance Decision. We’ll help you get them working together.
Tell people it exists
An Advance Decision only helps if it’s found when it matters. Give copies to your GP, your family and your attorneys, and keep a copy in your Legacy Connect Vault.
Review it from time to time, especially if your health or wishes change.
Free forms
Download the forms
We’ve partnered with the charity Compassion in Dying, which provides a free information pack and form. We’re happy to talk it through with you.
This page is general information, not medical or legal advice. Talk to your GP about the treatments you’re thinking of refusing.
Want to talk it through?
We can help you make an Advance Decision alongside your Lasting Powers of Attorney, so everything works together.