The OPG’s annual report states that the average actual clearance time for power of attorney (POA) applications in England and Wales is 76 working days compared with the target of 40.
Addressing Waiting Times
A recent STEP article addresses the waiting times for applications to the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) as follows:
Average waiting times for registering a lasting power of attorney (LPA) have been considered unsatisfactory for several years for a variety of reasons including increased demand, staff shortages and the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns.
Recent Performance
In 2022/23, the average time to register and dispatch LPAs and enduring powers of attorney (EPAs) was 91 working days. Despite progress in reducing the number of days, there is a long way to go before delays are reduced to their pre-pandemic level of 40 days.
Measures Taken
A 48 per cent reduction was achieved by expanding office space, recruiting more staff and giving more staff training. The reduction came despite continuing growth in demand that saw 1.37 million registration applications received in the 2023/24 year, compared to one million the previous year. There are now just over eight million LPAs and EPAs on the register.
Increased Demand for Investigations
The OPG has also experienced higher demand for investigations this year, linked to higher demand for LPAs and a growth in the supervision caseload to 60,500 cases. Investigations of abuse increased by 28 per cent and, as a result, the OPG did not meet its target to complete investigations within 70 working days.
Supervision of Deputies
The OPG’s work to supervise deputies has also grown, now reaching 60,516 clients, but it says the average time to obtain annual reports from deputies it supervises is now 33 working days compared to a target of 40. The average time to review deputies’ yearly reports is 11 working days, compared to a target of 15.
Customer Service Improvements
A new contact centre has now been opened and the OPG’s phone line operating hours have also been extended. It has now cleared its customer complaint backlogs and has substantially improved the timeliness of its complaint replies, although the percentage of complaints fully resolved within ten working days is still only 69 per cent compared with a target of 90 per cent.
How Tozers Can Help
If you are looking to make a Lasting Power of Attorney or are an attorney wanting advice on your role, Tozers can help.
