Hi there, I'm sorry you haven't received any responses. When I did this for my mother (many years ago) I mostly used investment vehicles that were available from her bank since I was out of the country and needed easily accessible options.
How straightforward it is to set up a new savings account is very dependent on the institution in question I'm afraid: some companies are far better that others. I think the first thing you need to do is work out how much can be in long term savings (which you basically can't touch until they mature) and how much you need accessible. At the time I did this, saving rates were much higher than they are now, but I did take the position that a 1% lower interest rate with a company that was easy to deal with was better than higher rates with a company that wasn't. With rates as low as they are now, though, I'm not sure I just wouldn't stuff it in a savings account at their existing bank - faffing around for an extra .5% doesn't seem worth it when you have everything else to deal with. Just make sure that any accounts held with a specific bank are covered under the fscs. Since this is limited to £85K you may need to open accounts at other institutions. In that case I would have a close look at their websites: it's not a slam dunk but on the whole those that give information about how an attorney can go about opening and maintaining an account are more likely to be geared up for it as opposed to those who don't seem to recognise that such arrangements exist. At the very least, it gives you a webpage to wave in their face if you have problems.
Best of luck.
