Adult Social Care Glossary, v 0.6

An advance decision to refuse treatment (sometimes referred to as a living will and sometimes abbreviated to ADRT) is a decision an individual can make when they have capacity to refuse a specific type of treatment, to apply at some time in the future when they have lost capacity. It means that families and health professionals will know the person's decisions about refusing treatment if they are unable to make or communicate the decisions themselves.

An advance decision must be valid and applicable before it can be legally binding. For example, one of the conditions is that the individual is aged 18 or over at the time the decision is made. To establish whether an advance decision to refuse treatment is valid and applicable, practitioners must have regard to sections 24 to 26 of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. If the advance decision purports to refuse life-sustaining treatment, additional requirements apply. (See Chapter 9 of the Mental Capacity Act Code of Practice.)