Hi Sheila, is there a consent form that gives authority for family to sign on behalf of the service user. This would be where the service user has capacity but would like a family member to deal with all care paperwork and reviews.

Answered by Sheila Scott

Dear P,

Thank you for your question.

As far as I am aware there is not a formal consent for this purpose.

It is though perfectly acceptable for a service user to sign an agreement that they would like a particular close relative to act on their behalf and to identify the areas for which the authorisation is being given.

As people get older they so often do not want to have all the aggravation involved to carry out the many administrative tasks that we face every week.

As a provider you need to be sure that the consent is properly documented and if I were you I would get a third party to witness the service users signature.

Some service users might wish to involve a solicitor in signing such a consent form.

This advice relates to people with Mental Capacity.

Advice and guidance on matters relating to people who lack capacity can be found on the Office of the Public Guardian website.

I hope this is helpful.

Best wishes.

Sheila