End of life planning

Copyright © 2025 LexisNexis
Produced in partnership with Caroline Bielanska of Caroline Bielanska Consultancy
Practice notes

End of life planning

Copyright © 2025 LexisNexis

Produced in partnership with Caroline Bielanska of Caroline Bielanska Consultancy

Practice notes
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Importance of discussing end of life plans

Towards the later stage of a person’s life, conversations may take place between them, their families and those who look after them, such as doctors and other health care professionals to understand and share expectations and wishes regarding future care and treatment.

These important conversations can help the person make informed decisions, plan ahead, give them control over care and treatment they receive or do not want to receive, and provide peace of mind.

The person’s plans can include any, or all of, the following:

  1. •

    making a health and welfare lasting power of attorney (LPA) appointing another person or persons to make decisions, if and when they lack mental capacity to make a decision for themselves

  2. •

    making an advance decision to refuse specified medical treatment in specified circumstances in the future

  3. •

    setting out their wishes for care and treatment in an advance statement or an advance care plan, which may be taken into account when care and treatment is being provided

Sometimes the person’s

Caroline Bielanska
Caroline Bielanska

Solicitor, TEP, Mediator, Independent Consultant, Caroline Bielanska Consultancy

Caroline is well known in her specialist field, providing trouble shooting advice and support services to legal practices in the following areas:
  • Powers of attorney, deputyship, capacity, the Mental Capacity Act 2005, and Court of Protection practice
  • Health and social care law in respect of adults (assessments, eligibility and state funding, including NHS Continuing Health Care)
  • End of life care and planning
  • Adult safeguarding
  • Residency and care disputes
 
She delivers In house training and training for many CPD providers, including Central Law Training International, MBL, The Solicitors Group, Professional Conferences and STEP.
 
Caroline mediates in Court of Protection and health and social care disputes and is a member of the Court of Protection Mediation Panel.
 
Caroline is an editor and author to numerous publications including:
  •  The Practitioners Guide to Court of Protection Practice (Bloomsbury)
  • Cretney & Lush on Lasting and Enduring Powers of Attorney (Lexis Nexis)
  • The Elderly Client Handbook (The Law Society)
  • Elderly Clients- A Precedent Manual (Jordans)
  • Elderly People and the Law (Jordans)
  • The Health and Social Care Handbook (the Law Society)
  • Contributor to Heywood and Massey’s Court of Protection Practice
  • Formerly on the Editorial Board and contributor to The Elder Law Journal (Jordans)
  • Author of ‘A Safeguarding Strategy for Recognising, Preventing and Dealing with the Abuse of Older and Vulnerable People’ (Solicitors for the Elderly)
  • Technical Editor of Coldrick on Personal Injury Trusts (ARK Publishing) (1st edition)
  • Former contributor to the Older Client Law Service (Tottel), and Finance and Law for the Older Client (Lexis Nexis)
 
She sits on the Law Society’s Mental Health & Disability Committee and the Court of Protection’s Rules Review Committee.
 
Caroline won the Trusted Advisor of the Year 2017 and the Vulnerable Client Practice Award 2017 in STEP’s Private Client Awards. She was a finalist in 2018, 2019, 2020 & 2021 in the Vulnerable Client Practice Award category. 

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United Kingdom
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Key definition:
Plans definition
What does Plans mean?

Means all the plans, drawings, models, specifications, reports, design documents and any other materials provided by the Licensor for the purposes of the Project

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