Friday 29 November will see the Second Reading of the Assisted Dying Bill in Parliament. We know that for some this will bring hope, and for others anxiety. However you are feeling about the situation we’d like to assure you that our role remains the same: to support the people of Greenwich and Bexley to live as well as they can for as long as they can. As a hospice team we have talked about the Bill, we have heard each other’s views and perspectives and are united in our commitment to patients and families.
If passed, the Bill would ‘allow adults who are terminally ill, subject to safeguards, to be assisted to end their own life.’
For people to be eligible to do this they would need to:
- Be terminally ill
- Have the necessary capacity to make the decision
- Be aged 18 or over
- Resident in England and Wales for at least 12 months
- Be registered as a patient with a GP practice in England or Wales
- Have a clear, settled and informed wish to end their own life and be able to make that decision without being coerced or pressured by any other person
- Have an inevitably progressive illness, disease or medical condition that cannot be reversed by treatment and be expected to die within 6 months.
This Bill, whether MPs vote in support or against it, is part of a much longer journey with many unknowns. Passing a new law takes considerable time, consultation and amendment – it won’t happen overnight. We also don’t yet have clarity on what the role of hospices will or won’t be should this law be passed and should the Bill pass, we will navigate this together.
It’s not our charity’s role to either support or oppose a change in the law on assisted dying. Rather, our aim is to make sure the experience and expertise of our patients, their families, our staff, volunteers, health and care partners and wonderfully diverse community are heard in this important national conversation.
Whatever happens, we remain committed to continuing to provide care and support to people living with terminal illnesses across the boroughs we serve and this will never change.
If you’d like to read more about the proposed Bill, you can do so here
