• March 28, 2024
 OPG Plan To Launch Paperless LPAs

OPG Plan To Launch Paperless LPAs

The Office of the Public Guardian’s (OPG) 2019-2020 business plan sets out its transformation programme called ‘OPG 2025’ which proposes to change the way they provide their services which includes launching paperless Lasting Powers of Attorneys (LPA).

OPG 2025’s strategy is to make better use of digital products by reducing the handling, use, and storage of paper within their organisation by developing a proposal which produces LPAs digitally.

With a 21st century society coupled with innovations in technology continually evolving in the legal sector it has given the public more choice in what they can do and has changed the way everyone lives.

According to the OPG, in the UK there are 850,000 people currently living with dementia and as people are living longer than ever, this is expected to rise to over 1 million by 2025 and to 2 million by 2051. Meanwhile, The Stroke Association has revealed there are over 1.2 million stroke survivors living in the UK – and Headway, the brain injury association, documented a 10% increase in admissions for acquired brain injuries between 2005 to 2006 and 2016 to 2017. The OPG believe there will be more and more people requiring their support to plan for their future or for a time where they need to help others make decisions as time goes on.

Their transformation programme ‘OPG 2025’ proposes to meet the growing needs of their users, partners, and stakeholders and ensure their users have the highest levels of support and services which are accessible and affordable – while still upholding the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

Alan Eccles CBE, Public Guardian, and CEO said:

“We want our lasting powers of attorney services to be as well-known as driving licences – affordable, portable, flexible and accepted wherever they are used.”

Last month OPG promised a fully online LPA application process claiming that they will improve their online services and ‘look for ways to make applying to register an LPA a fully online service to make it easier for users’

Carrying out the OPG 2025 will enable them to fully understand and meet the needs of their users now and for the future; increase awareness and understanding of LPAs; offer greater support, advice and guidance to those adults at risk; introduction of new services that are required; minimise the use of paper, and ensuring their services are affordable and sustainable.

One retired user from South Wales commented on the services saying:

“Filling in a lasting power of attorney form took me 45 minutes to do online, and for the second LPA it was even quicker”

Looking forward, the OPG plans to do the following in 2019-2020:

  • carry out research to find out why more people do not take out an LPA
  • carry out research to understand what support our users need from us to help them in their role as deputies or attorneys or when making an LPA
  • establish what impact LPAs have had on society and what this means for our future services
  • develop a proposal for a paperless LPA
  • launch an online service to make to quicker and easier for attorneys and third parties to use an LPA – including a Welsh language version
  • encourage the use of different ways to pay for our services with less use of cheques
  • promote LPAs through a targeted campaign – Your Voice, Your Decision
  • complete the development of our case management system, moving all relevant data and shutting down older systems
  • look at ways to reduce the large volume of paper we receive in the organisation
  • confirm plans for moving to a new Birmingham office location in 2022 to help us to provide better services
  • encourage our people to work smarter, helping them to easily work together, more flexibly and creatively

To read OPG’s full business plan click here.

As a Wills and probate professional, do you think OPG’s transformation programme will support the users of today and in the future better? do you think it will encourage much more consumers to apply to register for LPAs?

 

Toni Ryder-McMullin

Toni is the Media Officer for Today’s Conveyancer, Today’s Wills & Probate and Today's Family Lawyer. I worked for a law firm for 16 years, during my time at the firm I worked as a company commercial legal secretary for 7 years but changed careers and moved into marketing for the remaining 9 years – where I covered all aspects of marketing. While in the marketing role, I achieved a CIM Professional Certificate in Marketing and CAM Diploma in Digital Marketing.