What is a Medical Power of Attorney (MPA) and an Anticipatory Direction (AD)?
A Medical Power of Attorney appoints a Medical Agent (not a professional carer) to make medical treatment decisions for a person should he or she become unable to make these decisions for themselves. An Anticipatory Direction does not require the appointment of a ‘proxy’ or substitute person, however it is a document that records a person’s wishes and directions about end of life decisions which must be acted upon by those providing care. For an advance directive to be legally valid, the person making it must be 18 years or over and be mentally competent to understand the nature and intention of the document. he or she must also understand the consequences of completing and signing the document, and must do so without any coercion, pressure, or influence by others. * Mental Incapacity is defined in the Guardianship and Administration Act 1993 as – “the inability of a person to look after his or her own health, safety or welfare or to manage his or her own affairs, as a result of- (a) a
