Guidance

Coronavirus (COVID-19): Office of the Public Guardian response

This page provides guidance on how OPG is responding to the coronavirus pandemic. It will be updated when new information is available.

Our services are currently experiencing delays, and we apologise for any inconvenience this may cause. Please allow up to 16 weeks from receipt of your LPA for your application to be processed.

Given the delays we are experiencing, you may want to use some short-term options for health, welfare and financial decisions.

Safeguarding and visits

Visitors will conduct visits over the phone or via video call where appropriate. If you have a visit scheduled, an OPG visitor will be in touch. They’ll contact you by phone or email to discuss arrangements, or to give you an update.

NHS and social services staff: check if a patient has an attorney or deputy

NHS and social services staff can contact us to check if a COVID-19 patient has an attorney or deputy. We aim to respond within 24 hours, Monday to Friday.

Contacting us

We recommend that you refer to our guidance pages before you contact us, as they may contain the information you need.

If you need to contact us, you can do so by:

Our contact centre hours are:

  • Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 9.30am to 5pm
  • Wednesday 10am to 5pm

Updates to this page

Published 24 March 2020
Last updated 21 August 2024 + show all updates
  1. change of time it takes to process LPA

  2. Removing superfluous information referring to COVID pandemic and lockdown

  3. Amended to reflect new guidance in England and Wales

  4. Update to reflect date of new Welsh guidance

  5. Update to reflect new welsh guidance.

  6. Update to Government Covid guidance issued on 5 Jan 2022

  7. Edited date of government update.

  8. Updating guidance with information about measures to prevent omicron spread. Making overall content more succinct

  9. date change

  10. Updated the Welsh language information to reflect new guidance on 8 October

  11. Updates to English page to reflect guideline changes on 14 September, and to Welsh page to link to new English plan.

  12. Changes made to new self isolation rules on 16 August 21

  13. Updates to Welsh page to reflect guideline changes on 7 August

  14. Large-scale edit to reflect COVID-19 guidance changes on 19 July

  15. Changing the time taken to register LPAs from 15 weeks to 20 weeks

  16. Guidance change on 21 June

  17. Amend to Welsh information to reflect guidance change on 7 June

  18. Updated LPA processing times in Welsh version.

  19. Changes made due to May roadmap

  20. Added translation

  21. changes to welsh

  22. Changes to represent the roadmap out of lockdown announced Feb 2021

  23. changes to welsh version for Lockdown 3

  24. changes due to Lockdown 3

  25. changes to welsh translation

  26. LPA timescale change on 10 December 2020

  27. amends for local tier restrictions from 2 Decemeber 20

  28. changes to welsh language version

  29. update information wih respect to lockdown starting 5/11/20

  30. Covid update 12 October 2020

  31. change to local lockdown and social distancing links

  32. Changes to visits information

  33. Added translation

  34. edited contacting us

  35. edits to welsh version

  36. Added translation

  37. Added translation

  38. Edited to include a link to local lockdown information

  39. Editing details - Contact Centre has changed opening times and Visits information has changed

  40. Welsh language version of an earlier edit

  41. Adding the Welsh language translation

  42. Adding information about how to register an EPA

  43. Amending the opening hours of the contact centre

  44. Added information on how to make an LPA or be an attorney or deputy during the outbreak, and information on short term ways people can make decisions on someone else's behalf

  45. Added information about professional deputies

  46. Added a link to the page telling NHS staff how to request a search of the OPG databases of LPAs and deputyships, specifically related to coronavirus patients

  47. First published.

Sign up for emails or print this page