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 20 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
Published 24 March 2020
Last updated 23 March 2022 + show all updates
  1. Removing superfluous information referring to COVID pandemic and lockdown

  2. Amended to reflect new guidance in England and Wales

  3. Update to reflect date of new Welsh guidance

  4. Update to reflect new welsh guidance.

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

  6. Edited date of government update.

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

  8. date change

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

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

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

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

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

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

  15. Guidance change on 21 June

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

  17. Updated LPA processing times in Welsh version.

  18. Changes made due to May roadmap

  19. Added translation

  20. changes to welsh

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

  22. changes to welsh version for Lockdown 3

  23. changes due to Lockdown 3

  24. changes to welsh translation

  25. LPA timescale change on 10 December 2020

  26. amends for local tier restrictions from 2 Decemeber 20

  27. changes to welsh language version

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

  29. Covid update 12 October 2020

  30. change to local lockdown and social distancing links

  31. Changes to visits information

  32. Added translation

  33. edited contacting us

  34. edits to welsh version

  35. Added translation

  36. Added translation

  37. Edited to include a link to local lockdown information

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

  39. Welsh language version of an earlier edit

  40. Adding the Welsh language translation

  41. Adding information about how to register an EPA

  42. Amending the opening hours of the contact centre

  43. 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

  44. Added information about professional deputies

  45. 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

  46. First published.