Cross-Border Terminal Illness & Advance Care Checklist: United Kingdom & Poland

1. 1

   Organizing Palliative and Hospice Care in the United Kingdom and Poland

   In the United Kingdom, ask the GP, hospital consultant, or specialist nurse for a referral to NHS community palliative care teams and local charitable hospices (supported nationally through networks such as Hospice UK and Marie Curie) [2]. If your family member has a rapidly deteriorating condition that may be entering a terminal phase, ask the clinician or social worker to submit a Fast-Track Pathway Tool for NHS Continuing Healthcare so a fully funded package of home nursing or hospice care can be arranged urgently [2].

   If the person is considering relocating from the United Kingdom to Poland for care, verify health insurance entitlement and medical fitness to travel in advance, as UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) cover only applies to temporary stays and planned treatment abroad requires prior S2 funding authorization or active Polish health insurance. In Poland, publicly funded palliative and hospice care (including home hospice care, hospicjum domowe, inpatient palliative medicine wards, oddział medycyny paliatywnej, and outpatient palliative clinics) is financed by Narodowy Fundusz Zdrowia (NFZ, with 24-hour patient information via Telefoniczna Informacja Pacjenta on 800 190 590) on the basis of an e-referral (e-skierowanie) issued by a health insurance physician [5], alongside patient rights support through Rzecznik Praw Pacjenta [6].

2. 2

   Executing Written Advance Directives and Patient Authorizations While Capacity Remains

   Complete separate written care directives and medical record authorizations in the United Kingdom and Poland while your family member has full mental capacity.

   • United Kingdom: A person aged 18 or over with mental capacity can make a written Advance Decision to Refuse Treatment (ADRT, or Living Will) to legally refuse specific future medical treatments, as well as a non-binding Advance Statement of preferences and a clinician-signed ReSPECT emergency care summary [1][2]. If an ADRT refuses life-sustaining treatment, it must be in writing, signed by the person, and signed in their presence by a witness, with copies provided to the GP and hospital team [1].
   • Poland: Under the Act on Patient Rights and the Patient Ombudsman (ustawa o prawach pacjenta i Rzeczniku Praw Pacjenta), a patient should sign written authorizations (upoważnienie osoby bliskiej) naming trusted individuals to receive medical information (informacja o stanie zdrowia) and access medical records (dokumentacja medyczna), and can also grant access directly through the online patient portal Internetowe Konto Pacjenta (IKP at pacjent.gov.pl) [5][6]. Any written statement regarding future medical treatment should be lodged in the person's medical records and discussed with the Polish treating team [6].
3. 3

   Establishing Separate Financial and Healthcare Powers of Attorney in Both Jurisdictions

   A UK Lasting Power of Attorney is not automatically recognized for property or banking transactions in Poland, and a Polish notarial power of attorney cannot replace a registered UK Lasting Power of Attorney.

   • United Kingdom: While the person has mental capacity, prepare and register two separate Lasting Powers of Attorney with the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG in England and Wales; or a Continuing Power of Attorney and Welfare Power of Attorney with the Office of the Public Guardian in Scotland; or an Enduring Power of Attorney in Northern Ireland): a Lasting Power of Attorney for Health and Welfare and a Lasting Power of Attorney for Property and Financial Affairs [1][2]. Note that if an LPA for Health and Welfare is made after an ADRT and gives the attorney authority over the same treatment decisions, the LPA overrides the earlier ADRT [1].
   • Poland: For property, inheritance, or administrative acts in Poland, execute a power of attorney in the form of a notarial deed (pełnomocnictwo w formie aktu notarialnego) before a Polish civil-law notary (notariusz, searchable via Krajowa Rada Notarialna) or have a notarized power of attorney executed in the United Kingdom and legalized with a Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) Hague Apostille accompanied by a sworn Polish translation (tłumacz przysięgły) [9]. Because Polish banks frequently require bank-specific forms, also set up a direct bank account power of attorney (pełnomocnictwo do rachunku bankowego) and a payment-on-death instruction (dyspozycja wkładem na wypadek śmierci) under Polish Banking Law while the account holder has capacity.
4. 4

   Claiming Fast-Track Terminal Illness Benefits and Statutory Caregiver Leave

   Both jurisdictions offer fast-track financial support and caregiver leave rights:

   • United Kingdom: Under the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Special Rules for End of Life, a person whose clinician estimates they may have 12 months or less to live can ask their doctor or specialist nurse to provide an SR1 medical form for fast-track, top-rate assessment of Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance, or Universal Credit without a face-to-face assessment [3]. Qualifying caregivers providing at least 35 hours of care a week can claim Carer's Allowance, and UK employees have a statutory right to one week of unpaid Carer's Leave per year.
   • Poland: If the caregiver is insured under the Polish social insurance system, Zakład Ubezpieczeń Społecznych (ZUS) pays care allowance (zasiłek opiekuńczy, claimed on unified form Z-15 with a medical certificate e-ZLA) for up to 14 days per calendar year when caring for an ill adult family member [7]. Polish employees are also entitled to up to 5 days of unpaid caregiver leave (urlop opiekuńczy) per calendar year under the Polish Labour Code, and adults with disabilities residing in Poland may qualify for the state supportive benefit (świadczenie wspierające) administered by ZUS following a provincial assessment (WZON) [7].
5. 5

   Aligning Wills, Pensions, Probate, and Post-Death Administration Across the UK and Poland

   Reviewing wills, pension nominations, and succession rules in advance prevents conflicts between UK and Polish estate administration:

   • Wills and Succession: Ensure wills clearly address assets in the United Kingdom and Poland without accidentally revoking one another, and check expression-of-wish nominations on UK workplace and private pensions.
   • United Kingdom post-death administration: When a death is registered in England, Wales, or Scotland, the registrar issues a reference number for the Tell Us Once service on GOV.UK, which notifies HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP Bereavement Service and the International Pension Centre), the Passport Office, and local councils in one step [4]. All UK Lasting Powers of Attorney end automatically upon death, and the executor or administrator applies for a Grant of Probate (or Letters of Administration) in England and Wales, or Confirmation in Scotland.
   • Poland post-death administration: For individuals insured or receiving pensions in Poland, family members can claim the funeral grant (zasiłek pogrzebowy, PLN 7,000 from 2026) on form Z-12 within 12 months of death and survivor's pension (renta rodzinna) on form ERR through Zakład Ubezpieczeń Społecznych (ZUS, or KRUS for agricultural social insurance) [7][8]. To confirm heirship over Polish assets, heirs obtain either a notarial Deed of Certification of Inheritance (Akt Poświadczenia Dziedziczenia, recorded in the Rejestr Spadkowy maintained by Krajowa Rada Notarialna) or a court inheritance order (sądowe stwierdzenie nabycia spadku) [9]. Remember two strict Polish deadlines: heirs have 6 months from learning of their title to the estate to make a declaration accepting or rejecting the inheritance, and immediate family members (zero tax group) have 6 months from the registration of the Akt Poświadczenia Dziedziczenia or finality of the court order to file form SD-Z2 with the Polish tax office (Urząd Skarbowy) for full inheritance tax exemption [9].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Advance decision to refuse treatment (living will) — NHS
2. [2]
   Plan ahead for the end of life - End of life care — NHS
3. [3]
   The 'Special Rules': how the benefit system supports people nearing the end of life — Department for Work and Pensions (GOV.UK)
4. [4]
   What to do after someone dies: Tell Us Once — GOV.UK
5. [5]
   Opieka paliatywna i hospicyjna finansowana przez NFZ — Narodowy Fundusz Zdrowia (NFZ)
6. [6]
   Rzecznik Praw Pacjenta - Prawa pacjenta — Rzecznik Praw Pacjenta (GOV.pl)
7. [7]
   Renta rodzinna i świadczenia ZUS — Zakład Ubezpieczeń Społecznych (ZUS)
8. [8]
   Uzyskaj zasiłek pogrzebowy — Serwis Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej (GOV.pl)
9. [9]
   Rejestr Spadkowy — Krajowa Rada Notarialna