Where to Store Your Advance Care Directive in NSW

NSW Has No Central Registry for Advance Care Directives

Unlike Queensland's statutory system or Victoria's register through the Office of the Public Advocate, New South Wales has no centralised government registry where you can lodge your Advance Care Directive and guarantee that hospitals will find it.

This is a direct consequence of NSW's common law framework. Because an ACD in NSW is a common law document — not a statutory form filed with a state authority — there is no government database that automatically flags your directive when you arrive at an emergency department.

That means the burden of ensuring your directive is accessible in a medical crisis falls entirely on you and your family. A beautifully drafted ACD locked in a filing cabinet at home is legally worthless if the treating team at Royal Prince Alfred cannot access it at 2 AM when you are unconscious.

My Health Record: The Digital Backbone

The most effective storage option for NSW residents is the federal My Health Record system. Every Australian has a My Health Record unless they opted out during the 2018-2019 window. Public hospital networks across NSW can access this record electronically through their clinical information systems.

To upload your ACD:

1. Log in to My Health Record through myGov (my.gov.au)
2. Navigate to the "Documents" section
3. Upload a high-resolution PDF or scanned copy of your signed Advance Care Directive
4. Add a clear file name — "Advance Care Directive [Your Name] [Date]"

The advantage is immediacy. When you present to a public hospital emergency department in NSW, clinicians can access your My Health Record and retrieve your directive without calling your family or solicitor. Several Local Health Districts have integrated My Health Record checks into their standard admission workflows.

The limitation: not all private hospitals and GPs actively check My Health Record during emergencies, and the system requires the clinician to actively search for the document. It is not flagged automatically on admission.

WillSafe: The NSW Trustee & Guardian's Storage Service

The NSW Trustee & Guardian operates WillSafe, a secure physical and digital document storage service. You can lodge your original Advance Care Directive, Enduring Guardian appointment, Enduring Power of Attorney, and Will in a single secure repository.

WillSafe costs vary. If you draft your documents through the NSW Trustee & Guardian (free for full Centrelink Age Pensioners, $231+ per document for others), storage is included. For externally prepared documents, fees apply for registration and storage.

The strength of WillSafe is document integrity — your originals are stored in a secure, fireproof, flood-proof facility. The weakness is retrieval speed. In a genuine medical emergency, the hospital cannot instantly access your ACD from WillSafe. Someone — your enduring guardian, a family member, or your solicitor — needs to contact the NSW Trustee & Guardian during business hours and arrange document retrieval or confirm your directive's contents.

WillSafe works best as a backup repository for your originals, not as your primary access point for emergency clinical situations.

GP and Specialist Integration

Your treating GP is often the first medical professional consulted during a health crisis — either directly or through their records being accessed by hospital staff via shared clinical systems.

Request that your GP scan your Advance Care Directive into their local clinic database. Many practices use clinical software (Medical Director, Best Practice, Genie) that allows PDF attachments to patient records. When you are transferred from a regional hospital to a Sydney ICU, the treating team may request your GP records — and your ACD will travel with them.

Do the same with any specialists managing chronic conditions. If you have a cardiologist, oncologist, or neurologist, ensure they hold a current copy.

Physical Distribution Checklist

Digital storage handles the hospital scenario. But you also need physical copies distributed to the right people:

Your Enduring Guardian should hold a certified copy of both your ACD and the Enduring Guardian appointment form. They are the person who will be called when a medical decision is needed — they need the documents in hand, not locked in a safe.

Your closest family members — spouse, adult children, or the person most likely to be contacted in an emergency — should know the ACD exists and where to find it. They do not need to hold copies unless they are also your guardian, but they need to know who does.

Your residential aged care facility, if applicable. On admission to any aged care home or hospital in NSW, hand a physical copy directly to the admissions clerk and the attending nurse. Many facilities maintain an advance care planning register for residents — ask for your directive to be added.

The Emergency Wallet Card

A laminated card in your wallet stating "I have an Advance Care Directive and an Enduring Guardian" with your guardian's phone number can be the difference between your directive being followed and being ignored.

Paramedics and emergency staff check wallets for identification. A wallet card alerts them to search your My Health Record for the full document. Include:

• Your full legal name
• That you have an ACD and Enduring Guardian
• Your guardian's name and mobile number
• Your GP's name and practice phone number
• "My Advance Care Directive is uploaded to My Health Record"

Multiple Copies, One Original

Keep one original set of signed documents in secure storage (WillSafe, a home safe, or your solicitor's strongroom). Distribute certified copies to everyone else. If you update your ACD, physically retrieve and destroy all outdated copies to prevent confusion — an old ACD circulating while a new one sits in WillSafe creates exactly the kind of ambiguity that lets clinicians override your instructions.

Update your My Health Record by deleting the old PDF and uploading the current version. Notify your GP to replace their file copy. Inform your Enduring Guardian in writing.

The New South Wales Advance Directive & Living Will Kit includes a document storage and distribution checklist, printable emergency wallet card templates, and step-by-step instructions for integrating your directive across every access point — so your wishes are findable when they matter most.

See more New South Wales guides →