Living through a global pandemic has meant seeing loved ones taken from us at an alarming rate, and it has been distressing for many to see someone taken into hospital and not know if you might be able to see them again.

Whilst planning ahead to document your wishes in a will is the best way to arrange the division of your estate, sometimes plans do need to be put in place suddenly and at the last minute from a hospital, hospice or care home. If you are concerned that you may not be well enough to return home and wish to put your affairs in order then a solicitor can help you to make a will or make arrangements for specific gifts.

At present, it is important to balance the need to protect one another’s physical health with the urgency of making a new will or a lifetime gift. It is still possible to see your solicitor and obtain legal advice. This can either be via video conferencing software or face-to-face, so long as it is safe to do so and all coronavirus precautions are met.

Testamentary capacity

It is vital for making any will or gift that you have testamentary capacity. This means that you must understand that you are making a will or gift, you must know the extent of your estate, and you must comprehend any claims to which your estate could be subject following your death.

If your mental capacity is in any doubt, a medical report may also be needed. For example, a recent diagnosis of dementia will not necessarily mean that you do not have testamentary capacity, but a medical expert is likely to be needed in order to confirm this.

This may slow things down and complicate the process, but a solicitor will be well versed in these issues and can help to ensure that they do not prevent a valid will from being executed in time.

Precautions against undue influence

Any decision to make or amend a will must be your own. If there is any hint of undue influence, steps will need to be taken to protect you. For example, it may be that you have asked a family member or friend to contact your solicitor for you, if that person is also intended to be a beneficiary your solicitor will need to be satisfied that they have not pushed you to make the will. Unless satisfied that your instructions are yours and yours alone, the solicitor will be unable to draft the will on your behalf.

Finding witnesses

As with any will, a will that is made in a care setting must be signed by you and by two independent witnesses. Given the urgent nature, and as your witnesses and you must see each other sign the will, the most practical arrangement is for all three of you to sign at the same time, in one another’s company.

Your witnesses must also be independent, meaning that they cannot be named as one of your beneficiaries, nor can they be the spouse or civil partner of any of your named beneficiaries.

Finding willing witnesses to a deathbed will can be tricky, as many medical professionals are not happy to witness the wills of those in their care.

Your solicitor can usually bring a colleague and they can both act as your witnesses.

Handwritten wills

Whilst it is a requirement that all wills must be in writing in order to be valid, it is not necessary that they are typed. A handwritten will is often the best option, given that there may be a shortage of time, and our solicitors are best placed to ensure that a handwritten will is effective and appropriate to your circumstances.

Making a deathbed gift

If time is too short to make a will, or if there are relatively small gifts you want to leave to certain people without the formality of a will, you may be able to leave them by way of a gift.

A deathbed gift is one that is made in the reasonable contemplation of death occurring in the near future. Appropriate mental capacity is still a necessity for the gift to be valid.

Another factor that is necessary for a deathbed gift to be valid is that you must part with dominion. For example, you must physically hand over car keys or title deeds to the intended recipient. If you are unable to successfully part with dominion, the gift will not be valid. This could occur if the person you intend to give the item to is unable to visit you in time.

If the gift is valid, it is important to note that it will supersede the terms of any prior will. Therefore, if you specifically give an item in your will to one person and later give it to someone else on your deathbed, the first person will not receive that item and they stand to be disappointed when the terms of your will are revealed.

As deathbed gifts have complex rules, it is best to instruct a solicitor to advise on the potential gift so as to prevent a problem arising later for your executors.

What if I recover?

If your health recovers after having made a deathbed gift, then the gift will automatically fail. As the gift would have only passed to the recipient upon your death, this means that they will never receive it and the item remains yours.

It should also be noted that it is possible to expressly revoke the gift once you have made it, whilst you are still alive.

Practical considerations for deathbed wills and gifts

Leaving any will or gift until the last minute means that time will be against you. This can bring with it the risk that time may not be sufficient to give effect to your wishes. If you are in a hospital or a care home, visiting restrictions might also prevent things from proceeding swiftly enough.

When making any decision about gifts or a will, it is important that these are not made in haste. However, if you are certain about the gift or will you wish to make, professional advice and drafting is vital in preventing your decision from being contested after your death, and our solicitors can help you ensure that you adhere to all relevant rules and make your final wishes validly.

If you would like more information or advice about the issues raised in this article, or any aspect of family law please contact our expert legal team on 02080040065, by email at [email protected] or using the form below.

The contents of this article are general information only. The information in this article is not legal or professional advice. The law may have changed since this article was published. Readers should not act on the basis of the information included and should obtain independent expert advice from qualified solicitors such as those within our firm.