Advance Decision Service
Mental capacity assessment & consulting services for advance decisions (directives).
Ensure your wishes regarding opting out of specific medical treatments are respected when you are no longer able to make these decisions.
HOW CAN DR. PATHER HELP?
Dr. Pather undertakes mental capacity assessments for the purpose of making an advance decision / living will. She also provides advance decision consultations, during which she will explain what an advance decision is and how to make one.
The mental capacity assessment is tailored to older people and can be carried out remotely or in person at your home. Following the assessment, a report will be sent to you by secure email.
If you choose to have a remote consultation first, it will include an explanation of medical ceilings of care and the sorts of treatments which may be relevant to an advance decision. As a hospital practitioner, Dr. Pather is familiar with these treatments. Her service, however, does not involve telling you which treatments to include in your advance decision. That is for the individual to decide.
What is an advance decision to refuse treatment / living will?
It is a legally binding document which allows an adult to set out their preferences for the refusal of specific medical treatments (including life – sustaining treatment) if they later lose the mental capacity to make these decisions. It does not allow individuals to request an assisted death or to demand specific medical treatments.
Why should I make an advance decision?
An advance decision ensures that a person’s wishes regarding opting out of specific medical treatments are respected when they are no longer able to make these decisions.
It reduces the emotional burden placed on loved ones when a person is seriously ill or approaching the end of life.
It provides clarity for medical professionals.
The document should ideally be signed and witnessed, with copies provided to relevant people, e.g. your GP, close family members and LPA for health and welfare (if you have one). If your advance decision involves the refusal of life–sustaining treatment, it must include a statement that the decision applies even if life is at risk.
Even though an advance decision is legally binding, it can be overridden; this may happen if an LPA for health and welfare is made after the advance decision and there is disagreement, or if concerns are raised about your mental capacity at the time of making an advance decision.
Why should I have a mental capacity assessment?
The mental capacity report that Dr. Pather provides will ensure that your advance decision is robust, minimising any challenges to its validity.
The making of an advance decision is governed by the Mental Capacity Act 2005; it only comes into effect when an individual loses the capacity to make decisions. For an advance decision to be valid, however, an individual must have mental capacity at the time of making it and there must be no evidence of coercion.
WHAT IS THE COST?
Advance Decision Prices
Mental Capacity assessment for advance decision
£550
Consultation for advance decision
£150
Book both together for £650, saving £50.
What is & isn’t included
Prices are inclusive of VAT. The cost involves preparation time, travel time where applicable, assessment time and preparation of the mental capacity assessment report. If the distance travelled is over 10 miles, there is a surcharge of 55p per mile. Mental capacity assessments are not undertaken for hospital inpatients. Consultations are conducted remotely and Dr. Pather will not provide the document as templates are available online.
Payment terms
Payment is to be made in full in advance of the service/s before they are provided. You will be sent an invoice when you receive a confirmation. The invoice must be paid within 15 days of the date of the invoice if the appointment is booked more than 15 days in advance. Please see our Terms & Conditions document for further details.