Terminal Illness & End-of-Life Administration in the United Kingdom: 5-Step Official Checklist

1. 1

   Coordinate NHS Palliative Care, Hospice Support, and NHS Continuing Healthcare Fast Track

   Ask your family member's GP, hospital consultant, or clinical nurse specialist to coordinate community palliative care and hospice support right away [1][2]:

   • Community palliative care and GP register: The GP or hospital specialist team can refer the person to community district nurses, specialist palliative care teams, and local hospice services (including outpatient therapy, symptom control, and Hospice at Home) [1][2]. Ask the GP practice to add the person to its palliative care register so out-of-hours doctors and ambulance services have immediate access to their coordinated care summary (such as the Key Information Summary in Scotland) [1].
   • NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) Fast Track funding: In England and Wales, if the person's condition is deteriorating rapidly and may be entering a terminal phase requiring an urgent package of care at home or in a nursing home or hospice, a doctor or registered nurse can complete the NHS Continuing Healthcare Fast Track Pathway Tool and submit it directly to the local NHS Integrated Care Board (ICB) in England (or Local Health Board in Wales) [3]. Unlike local council social care, NHS Continuing Healthcare is 100% funded by the NHS and is free regardless of income or savings [3]. The local ICB must accept a properly completed Fast Track referral without a lengthy multi-disciplinary assessment and aims to put funded care in place rapidly (normally within 48 hours) [3]. (In Scotland, hospital-based complex clinical care and free personal and nursing care apply via the local NHS board and council; in Northern Ireland, urgent palliative care packages are arranged through the local Health and Social Care Trust.)
   • For free clinical and practical guidance on terminal illness care across the UK, you can call the Marie Curie Support Line at 0800 090 2309 [4] or locate local hospices through Hospice UK at 020 7520 8200 or [email protected] [2].
2. 2

   Request an SR1 Medical Form and Claim Fast-Track Special Rules Benefits

   Because clinicians expect your family member may have 12 months or less to live, they can claim disability and income benefits under the Special Rules for End of Life (SREL), which fast-tracks decisions to a matter of days, pays the highest rate automatically, and waives face-to-face assessments and qualifying waiting periods [5]:

   • Ask a clinician for form SR1 (or BASRiS in Scotland): In England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, ask the person's GP, hospital consultant, hospice doctor, or specialist nurse to complete an SR1 medical evidence form confirming the diagnosis and treatment [5]. There is no charge for the SR1, and the clinician will either send it directly to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) (or Department for Communities in Northern Ireland) or give you a copy to submit [5]. In Scotland, clinicians complete a BASRiS (Benefits Assessment under Special Rules in Scotland) form instead of an SR1 for benefits administered by Social Security Scotland, where no fixed 12-month time limit applies [5].
   • Submit the benefit claim (which a family member or representative can also initiate on the person's behalf):
     • If the person has reached State Pension age: In England and Wales, claim Attendance Allowance by calling the Attendance Allowance Helpline at 0800 731 0122 (or applying online via GOV.UK) [5][6]; claims under the Special Rules automatically receive the higher weekly rate [6]. (In Scotland, check whether the area uses Attendance Allowance or Social Security Scotland's Pension Age Disability Payment.)
     • If the person is under State Pension age: In England and Wales, claim Personal Independence Payment (PIP) by calling the Personal Independence Payment New Claims Line at 0800 917 2222 (which automatically awards the enhanced daily living component under Special Rules), and check entitlement to Universal Credit or New Style Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) [5]. (In Scotland, claim Adult Disability Payment through Social Security Scotland.)
3. 3

   Register Lasting Powers of Attorney with the Office of the Public Guardian

   While your family member has mental capacity, prepare and register formal powers of attorney so their chosen attorneys can act legally if they lose capacity [7]:

   • England and Wales (Lasting Powers of Attorney): Set up both types of Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) [7]:
     • Property and Financial Affairs LPA: Authorizes attorneys to manage bank accounts, pay household bills, claim benefits, and handle property. With the donor's consent, this LPA can be used as soon as it is registered, even while they still have capacity [7].
     • Health and Welfare LPA: Authorizes attorneys to make decisions about medical care, daily care routines, care placement, and (if the donor ticks the specific option on the form) life-sustaining treatment. It can only be used once the donor lacks mental capacity to make the specific decision [7].
   • Registration and statutory waiting period: Complete the LPA forms online on GOV.UK, ensure they are signed and witnessed in the strict statutory order (the donor first, then the independent certificate provider confirming capacity, then the attorneys), and submit them for registration to the Office of the Public Guardian at 0300 456 0300 or [email protected] [7]. Registration in England and Wales costs £92 per LPA (the statutory fee set from 17 November 2025, subject to periodic Ministry of Justice review, with a 50% remission or full exemption available for qualifying low income or means-tested benefits) and includes a mandatory 4-week statutory notice period before the registered LPA can be issued, so apply promptly [7].
   • Scotland and Northern Ireland: In Scotland, the person executes a Continuing Power of Attorney (financial) and/or Welfare Power of Attorney certified by a solicitor or medical practitioner and registered with the Office of the Public Guardian (Scotland). In Northern Ireland, financial authority is granted through an Enduring Power of Attorney.
4. 4

   Record Care Preferences, an Advance Decision (ADRT), and a ReSPECT Plan

   • Advance Decision to Refuse Treatment (ADRT / living will): If your family member wishes to refuse specific medical treatments in defined future circumstances should they lose capacity, they can complete a written ADRT (legally binding in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and treated as strong evidence of wishes in Scotland as an Advance Directive) [8]. In England and Wales, if an ADRT refuses life-sustaining treatment (such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation, mechanical ventilation, or clinically assisted nutrition and hydration), it must be in writing, explicitly state that it applies even if life is at risk, and be signed by the person and a witness in each other's presence [8]. Take care with sequencing in England and Wales: signing a Health and Welfare LPA after an ADRT overrides the ADRT if the LPA gives attorneys authority over life-sustaining treatment, whereas an ADRT signed after the LPA takes precedence over the attorneys on that treatment [8].
   • Advance Statement and ReSPECT plan: The person can also write a non-binding Advance Statement setting out their general values and preferred place of care [1], and ask their GP or palliative care clinician to complete a ReSPECT emergency care summary plan overseen by the Resuscitation Council UK [9]. The ReSPECT plan records personalized clinical guidance for emergency care and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (including any DNACPR decision) and stays with the patient so paramedics and hospital staff can follow it immediately [9].
5. 5

   Organize the Will, Pension Expression-of-Wish Forms, and Practical Documents

   • Verify or execute the will: Under the law of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, a valid will must be made voluntarily while the person has testamentary capacity, and must be signed by the person in the simultaneous physical presence of two independent adult witnesses (neither of whom can be a beneficiary or the spouse/civil partner of a beneficiary), who then sign in the person's presence (Scotland has slightly different witnessing rules under Scottish succession law) [10]. Where a person is seriously ill, instructing a solicitor to draft the will and asking a medical practitioner to witness it or record capacity helps prevent future challenges [10]. You can find a regulated private client solicitor in England and Wales through The Law Society at 020 7320 5650 [11], or ask a local hospice about charity will schemes.
   • Update pension expression-of-wish nominations: Workplace and personal pension lump-sum death benefits and life insurance policies written in trust normally pass outside the will according to nomination or expression-of-wish forms held by the pension scheme administrator. Ask your family member to review and update their nominated beneficiaries directly with each pension provider.
   • Assemble essential documents: Gather birth and marriage or civil partnership certificates, the person's National Insurance number, bank and savings account statements, property deeds or tenancy agreements, utility and council tax accounts, and any written funeral wishes in one accessible folder [1][10].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   End of life care — NHS
2. [2]
   Hospice UK - National Charity for Hospice and End of Life Care — Hospice UK
3. [3]
   NHS continuing healthcare — NHS
4. [4]
   Marie Curie - Care and Support Through Terminal Illness — Marie Curie
5. [5]
   Get benefits if you're nearing the end of life — GOV.UK (Department for Work and Pensions)
6. [6]
   Attendance Allowance — GOV.UK (Department for Work and Pensions)
7. [7]
   Make, register or end a lasting power of attorney — GOV.UK (Office of the Public Guardian)
8. [8]
   Advance decision to refuse treatment (living will) — NHS
9. [9]
   ReSPECT for patients and carers — Resuscitation Council UK
10. [10]
    Making a will — GOV.UK
11. [11]
    Find a Solicitor — The Law Society