Medical consent and your 'next of kin'
Where there's a will...
Naming your partner as your next of kin won't help them inherit from you. You need to make a will. Go to our Wills & Inheritance Issues section for more information.
Many people also worry about whether a partner would be able to give consent on your behalf to medical treatment, or, in the worst case scenario, decide whether or not to unplug your life support machine, or donate your organs.
This may be particularly worrying if your family do not get on with your partner, or have radically different views, for example, for religious reasons.
Actually, this is just a common misunderstanding. In England and Wales nobody is entitled to consent to medical treatment for another adult. Where a patient is unable to give consent themselves doctors must treat the patient according to the patient’s best interests and good medical practice.
But in reality doctors do usually discuss decisions and what the patient would want with the patient’s family. They should not exclude your partner, but this does sometimes still happen.
You can ensure that your partner is the person doctors discuss your treatment with by nominating him or her as your Next of Kin using our Next of Kin card. 
Download the card and leaflet (158 KB).
