Advance health directive (AHD)
What is an advance health directive?
An advance health directive (AHD) is an important legal document that allows you to record your wishes and directions about medical treatment and healthcare in case you can’t make decisions for yourself in the future.
To complete one, you must be over 18 and have decision-making ability.
An AHD lets you:
- set out your directions for medical treatment and healthcare
- appoint someone you trust as your attorney for health and personal matters.
If you don’t have anyone suitable, you can nominate the Public Guardian to be your attorney for healthcare decisions.
What decisions can an attorney make under an AHD?
An attorney appointed under an AHD can only make healthcare decisions that are not already covered in your AHD.
If a treatment or care decision is included in your AHD, your healthcare provider must follow your directions. They can’t ask your attorney to override these instructions.
If a healthcare matter is not covered in your AHD, your attorney can decide about:
- medications
- medical treatments and surgery
- dental treatment
- therapies
- preventative care for physical and mental health
- end-of-life care.
An attorney appointed under an AHD cannot make:
- personal decisions (e.g. where you live, services you receive)
- financial decisions (e.g. paying expenses, selling property, investments, or running a business).
When you complete the AHD form, you can also set limits about what decisions your attorney can and can’t make.
What should you do before you complete an AHD?
Before completing an AHD, you should:
- read the AHD form and AHD explanatory guide to understand what kind of information you need
- think about your healthcare values, preferences and what ‘quality of life’ means to you
- talk with family and friends about what’s important to you
- consult with your doctor as they must confirm your ability before you and the witness sign.
Witnessing and storing documents
Your AHD must be signed in front of an eligible witness. The witness is not simply observing your signature, they’re also certifying that at the time you had decision-making ability when making the document.
The witness must:
- confirm that you signed the AHD in their presence (or that another person signed at your direction, in your presence, and theirs)
- tick the relevant boxes on the form to confirm they’re eligible.
Eligible witnesses include:
- Justice of the Peace (JP)
- commissioner for declarations
- notary public
- lawyer.
A witness cannot be:
- the person signing on your behalf
- your attorney
- a relative of you or your attorney
- your paid carer or health provider
- a beneficiary in your will.
The witness must also check that a doctor has signed your form confirming your ability.
Information for eligible witnesses:
Read the Queensland Capacity Assessment Guidelines 2025
Read the Duties of Justices of the Peace (Qualified) and Commissioners for Declarations handbook
Tips for storing your AHD
- keep it in a safe place
- give copies to your attorney, doctor, lawyer, and others as needed
- there is no central registry for AHDs. However, you can send a copy to the Statewide Office of Advance Care Planning so it can be uploaded to your Queensland Health hospital record, making it accessible to authorised clinicians.
Nominating us as your attorney
If you don’t have anyone suitable and willing to be your attorney, you can nominate the Public Guardian as your attorney for healthcare decisions.
If you nominate us, we’ll read your application and may contact you for more information.
If we accept your nomination for us to be your attorney, we'll:
- sign the AHD form
- keep a scanned copy for our records
- return the original form to you with a letter to keep.
Who can be your attorney?
Your attorney is the person who makes health care decisions for you if you’re unable to. Choose carefully to ensure they:
- understand your values and wishes
- will act in your best interests
- know their legal responsibilities
- are confident communicating with healthcare providers
- are available when needed.
Your attorney must be:
- over 18
- able to make their own decisions.
Your attorney must not be:
- your paid carer (currently or in the past 3 years)
- your health provider
- a staff member of your residential service.
Appointing attorneys:
- you can appoint one or more attorneys
- if you appoint multiple attorneys, decide how they will make decisions (e.g. jointly, individually, or by majority).
When can your attorney make decisions?
Your attorney can only start making healthcare decisions if and when you lose the ability to make these decisions yourself.
Before they act, they must sign Section 8 of the AHD form (‘Attorney(s) acceptance’).
How must your attorney make decisions?
Attorneys must follow Queensland’s General Principles and Health Care Principles . These rules ensure your rights are upheld and your treatment preferences are respected.
When making decisions, your attorney must consider:
- your medical condition and prognosis
- alternative treatment options
- whether treatment can be delayed because a better option might soon be available or you may soon regain ability
- the risks of treatment and the consequences if it’s not provided.
What if your attorney is not acting properly?
If your attorney isn’t fulfilling their responsibilities, you (or someone on your behalf) can:
- get legal advice
- apply to the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) to have your attorney removed or your AHD changed/cancelled
- request that we investigate.
Reviewing and changing your AHD
You should review your AHD every two to three years, or after major life events such as marriage, divorce, or changes in your relationship with your attorney.
If you want to make changes, you can:
- revoke your current AHD and make a new one
- make a new AHD, which will override earlier versions where inconsistent.
Your attorney also has the right to resign from the role.