Over a third of a million continuing power of attorney applications are pending at the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG).

The authority said delays were being caused because “many of our employees are working from home” in a recorded message reported by the Daily Telegraph, adding that “this is impacting response times in our contact center and the processing of durable power of attorney requests”.

The power of attorney gives relatives access to the bank accounts and property of the person making the request, thereby protecting their finances should they become unable to manage their own affairs, usually for health reasons.

But the wait time went from 40 days to 140 days during the pandemic.

Some claims took more than a year to process, the Telegraph reported, with many delays of five months or more.

Applicants are advised to wait at least 20 weeks before trying to contact authorities, fueling a backlash as residents struggle to secure their future in the event of accident or illness.

OPG staff should only be at work at least two days a week, including the senior management team.

“It seems unlikely to be entirely coincidental that poor service delivery is occurring with high work-from-home rates,” said Jacob Rees-Mogg, Brexit Opportunities and Government Effectiveness Secretary.

“Executives need to lead by example and be in the office every day until the backlog is cleared.”

Campaign group Best Foundation, a network of lawyers and will-makers, said many had seen clients die while waiting for a power of attorney to be registered.

“This document which could have made their life a little easier during their last days never arrived,” the organization said.

OPG said staff working from home had no impact on delays in processing applications.

Users calling the Office of the Public Guardian are greeted with the message: “Our services are currently experiencing delays and we apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. » Please allow up to 20 weeks from receipt of your LPA for your application to be processed.

In the event that a debilitating illness strikes someone, loved ones will often be unable to access their loved one’s funds to pay for care plans until a power of attorney is granted.

Many relatives make the difficult financial decision to sell a home owned by their sick relative in order to pay for care costs, but without a power of attorney the properties cannot be sold even if a buyer has been lined up.

Delays can often mean the death of a loved one in worse conditions than if the application had been processed sooner.

OPG receives 67,000 applications each month that take an average of 20 weeks to process, suggesting just over a third of a million are still pending.

Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg has urged public sector workers to end working from home