End of life planning is simply deciding and recording what you want for your care, money and possessions, and funeral, and who should act for you if you can’t. Clear choices—like preferred care, treatment wishes, a will and powers of attorney—give you control and ease pressure on loved ones.
Inside you’ll find UK‑specific, plain‑English steps: how to start and record your wishes; advance care planning (ADRT, advance statement, DNACPR); legal essentials (will, executors, LPA); care settings and support; finances and benefits; funeral choices including direct cremation; donation and digital legacy; a checklist; nation‑by‑nation differences; and what to do after a death. First: why planning ahead matters.
Why planning ahead matters
When your wishes are written down, loved ones aren’t left guessing in a crisis. End of life planning in the UK makes it clear who can decide for you, what treatments you’d want (or refuse), and where you’d prefer to be cared for. It helps your NHS or hospice team understand your priorities, reduces family conflict, and speeds up practical steps like handling money, property and digital accounts. A valid will and powers of attorney prevent delays, while clear funeral choices (including direct cremation) keep costs and stress down.
How to start: conversations and recording your wishes
Begin gently. Choose a calm moment with the people you trust and talk about what matters to you if you became unwell: comfort, independence, faith, pets, where you’d prefer care. Then write it down so others aren’t left guessing and your NHS or hospice team can act on it.
- Choose your people: Who should know and speak for you (partner, family, close friend, and who you might ask to be an attorney or executor later).
- Talk to your clinicians: Let your GP, community nurse or hospice team know you’re planning ahead.
- Write an advance statement: Record your values, priorities, preferred place of care, cultural or spiritual needs.
- Note treatment preferences to discuss: Flag if you want to explore an ADRT or DNACPR with your clinician (details next section).
- Capture practicals: Key contacts, GP details, medications, allergies, access needs, pets, home routines.
- Store and share: Keep copies at home, tell people where originals are, and share with your GP and key contacts.
- Review regularly: Revisit after any diagnosis, hospital stay or life change.
Advance care planning: ADRT, advance statement and DNACPR
Advance care planning is about setting out what matters to you and how you’d like to be cared for if you become seriously ill or can’t decide later. In end of life planning in the UK, the main tools are an ADRT (advance decision), an advance statement and, where appropriate, a DNACPR. Used together, they help your values guide care and give clinicians clear direction.
- ADRT (advance decision to refuse treatment): Sometimes called a living will, it lets you refuse specific treatments in future. Discuss the wording with your clinician and make sure copies are with your GP and care team.
- Advance statement: Your preferences and priorities (comfort, faith, routines, preferred place of care). Not a legal document, but health and care teams should consider it.
- DNACPR: A record that you do not want cardiopulmonary resuscitation. It applies to CPR only; all other appropriate treatment and comfort care continue.
Review these if your health or wishes change, and ask your clinician how they’re recorded so they’re seen in a crisis.
Legal essentials: making a will, executors and powers of attorney
Getting the legal basics right is the backbone of end of life planning in the UK. A valid will sets out who should receive your money, property, possessions and investments, and who should handle the paperwork. Powers of attorney name people you trust to make decisions on your behalf if you’re no longer able to, keeping life simpler for everyone.
- Make a will: Clearly state who inherits your estate and any gifts to causes you care about. Say who should handle your funeral arrangements if you wish.
- Choose executors: Appoint trusted people (or a professional). Tell them where the original will is kept and what you want them to know.
- Keep it current: Review after major life changes and store it safely; let key people know how to access it.
- Set up powers of attorney (LPA): Appoint attorneys to make decisions about your care and your finances if you can’t. Discuss your values with them and share copies so they can act when needed.
Where care can happen and how to access support
End of life care in the UK can take place at home, in a hospice, hospital or a care home. The right setting is the one that fits your needs, symptoms and wishes, and it may change over time. Care is usually coordinated by NHS teams, your GP and community nurses, with hospices offering specialist support.
- At home: Familiar surroundings with GP and community nurse support; equipment and carers can be arranged.
- Hospice: Expert symptom control, short stays, day services and emotional support; many offer outreach at home.
- Hospital: Acute treatment when needed, with palliative care teams advising on comfort and discharge plans.
- Care home: 24/7 personal care with GP input and visiting clinicians for symptom management.
- Getting support: Speak to your GP or hospital team for referrals; contact your local hospice for advice; record your preferences in your care plan and share them with all teams.
Financial planning and benefits at end of life
Tackling money early eases stress and protects your wishes. Get a clear picture of your income, outgoings and accounts, decide what support you might need, and make it easy for trusted people to step in if you can’t manage later.
- Map your money: List bank accounts, savings, pensions, insurances, benefits, and any debts or regular bills.
- Put access in place: Use your financial LPA to authorise help when needed; tell trusted people where documents are kept.
- Check benefits and grants: Ask about NHS or hospice-provided equipment/support, and eligibility for government support. After a death, a spouse, civil partner or cohabiting partner may claim Bereavement Support Payment.
- Simplify bills: Set up direct debits and note renewal dates so nothing lapses.
- Record wishes for funds: Note any gifts you’d like to make and the budget you prefer for your funeral.
Funeral choices explained, including direct cremation
Funeral choices range from traditional services to simpler options. As part of end of life planning in the UK, being clear about your funeral preferences helps loved ones act with confidence. If you prefer low‑fuss, direct cremation is worth considering: an unattended cremation with no service, keeping costs and admin down while still allowing a personal memorial later.
- Traditional funeral: Ceremony with mourners, venue and officiant; burial or cremation.
- Direct cremation: Unattended; provider handles paperwork and care; eco‑coffin, simple ashes container.
- Afterwards: Ashes delivered or scattered; hold a personal memorial later.
Organ, tissue and whole-body donation
Donation wishes are an important part of end of life planning in the UK. If you want to donate organs, tissue or your body to medical teaching, state your decision clearly, tell family and clinicians, and store it with your key documents so it’s seen.
- Record your decision: Put it in writing and tell your next of kin.
- Tell your GP and attorneys: Note it in your advance statement/LPA and share copies.
- Whole-body donation: Needs pre‑arrangement and specific consent with a medical school and may not always be possible.
Digital legacy and practical life admin
Your online life can be as important as your paperwork. Photos, emails, social media, banking, subscriptions and cloud storage all need clear instructions. As part of end of life planning in the UK, decide who should manage your digital footprint, and record secure access arrangements so attorneys can help if you lose capacity and executors can act after you die.
- Make an asset map: Accounts, usernames, devices, subscriptions, domains.
- Name the right people: Tech‑savvy helper plus attorneys/executors.
- Store access securely: Password manager/emergency access, not in the will.
- State account wishes: Memorialise, delete or transfer where possible.
- Protect your memories: Back up, label and share key photos/documents.
Your planning checklist: what to decide and document
Turn good intentions into clear paperwork with this compact checklist. It helps loved ones and your care team act quickly and confidently, and keeps your end of life planning UK documents easy to find. Store copies together, tell people where originals are, and set a date to review.
- Personal details: NHS number, GP, next of kin, key contacts.
- Care preferences: Preferred place of care, daily routines, beliefs.
- Treatment choices: ADRT and any DNACPR discussed with clinicians.
- Advance statement: Your values, priorities and what matters most.
- Powers of attorney: Health and welfare; property and financial.
- Will: Executors, beneficiaries, and location of the original.
- Funeral wishes: Burial or cremation, direct cremation, ashes plans.
- Money map: Accounts, pensions, benefits, debts, insurances, bills.
- Home and pets: Keys, alarms, utilities, pet care arrangements.
- Digital legacy: Password access, social accounts, photos/backups.
- Document storage: Who holds copies and where they’re kept.
- Review schedule: Next review date and triggers (diagnosis, move, marriage).
Key differences across England, Wales and Scotland
End of life planning in the UK is broadly similar across England, Wales and Scotland, but practical details can vary. Paperwork names, how decisions are recorded in clinical systems and referral routes to hospice or community teams may differ locally. To keep your wishes actionable, use your local NHS/hospice guidance and make sure your GP knows what documents you’ve completed.
- Paperwork and terminology: ADRT (living will), advance statement and DNACPR are used UK‑wide, but forms can differ; ask your clinician which to use.
- Recording and visibility: Check how DNACPR/ADRT are stored so they’re seen in a crisis.
- Language and resources: Planning materials are available in Welsh as well as English.
After a death: what to do next
Those first hours and days can feel overwhelming. Keep it simple: confirm the death, get the right paperwork, tell the people who need to know, and start the funeral arrangements. If the person wanted a low‑fuss approach, you can choose direct cremation and hold a memorial later.
- Confirm and certify: Contact the GP, hospital or hospice so the death can be confirmed and a medical certificate issued.
- Tell your people: Inform close family and friends. Identify the executor and locate the will and any funeral wishes.
- Choose a funeral provider: Appoint a funeral director or a direct cremation service and agree next steps, including collection.
- Register the death: Make an appointment with the local register office; they’ll advise what to bring.
- Secure practicals: Look after property, keys, pets and urgent utilities.
- Gather documents: ID, bank and pension details, insurances, benefits and employer information.
- Notify organisations: Banks, insurers, pension providers, utilities and subscriptions to prevent errors and fraud.
- Check support: A spouse, civil partner or cohabiting partner may claim Bereavement Support Payment to ease immediate costs.
Next steps
You’ve done the hard thinking. Pick a date this week to complete the checklist, talk to your GP/solicitor, share copies, and set an annual review. If you want a simple, dignified farewell without a ceremony, explore direct cremation and practical help with paperwork and collection from Go Direct Cremations. We’re here 24/7 to answer questions and support your next steps.