Becoming a designated healthcare representative

Most adults can be a designated healthcare representative. But some people cannot be a designated healthcare representative including people who:

• have been convicted of an offence against the person or their child.
• are the owner or a registered provider of a designated centre or mental health facility where the person lives (unless you are a relative of the person)
• provide paid personal care or healthcare services to the person (unless you are a relative or their primary carer).

As a designated healthcare representative, your role is to make people aware of the persons' advance healthcare directive when they need to be, and to ensure the advance health care directive is followed.

Designated healthcare representatives are not required to send reports to us.

But, we can send someone to talk to you, or the person who has appointed you, and ask that person to give us with a report. For example, we may send a general visitor (link general visitor) or special visitor (link special visitor) to talk to you if we receive a complaint or want to make sure the agreement is working the way it should. Click on the link Complaint to read more.

If and when the advance healthcare directive comes into effect, you must keep a record of the decisions you make on behalf of the person. If the person regains the ability to make healthcare decisions, you must provide a copy of this record to them. We can also request a copy of the record.

To find out what a general visitor is click on the link general visitor

To find out what a special visitor is click on the link special visitor

To find out how to make a complaint click on the link complaint

If a person wants you to be their designated healthcare representative, they can name you in their advance healthcare directive.

Advance healthcare directives must include details about the designated healthcare representative. You can ask to see a copy of the advance healthcare directive to check that a person is a designated representative.

This document confirms that a designated healthcare representative has been appointed and has the legal authority to make healthcare and treatment decisions on behalf of the person.

Any person can make a complaint about a designated healthcare representative.

Complaints must be made in writing and must be about the way the designated healthcare representative is using their powers.

Find out more about the different grounds for making a complaint about a designated healthcare representative.