Key messages
Health practitioners may receive requests for information from patients about voluntary assisted dying. All health practitioners should be prepared to respond to these requests by ensuring they:
- Are prepared to discuss a person's end of life preferences, priorities and options.
- Are aware of their health service or organisations’ policies and procedures on voluntary assisted dying.
- Understand they can only discuss voluntary assisted dying with a person who has asked for information or requested access to voluntary assisted dying
- Understand their obligation not to obstruct or unnecessarily delay a person’s access to voluntary assisted dying information or services.
- Familiarise themselves with the consumer resources and Statewide Care Navigator Service.
- Understand that under the legislation medical practitioners must accept or refuse a first request for voluntary assisted dying within 7 days.
Health practitioners (such as registered nurses, allied health professionals and medical practitioners) provide care and support to people in health services and other health and aged care organisations, such as general practices and aged care facilities.
Any health practitioner may be asked about voluntary assisted dying or provide care to people who are accessing voluntary assisted dying. Not all medical practitioners are eligible to provide voluntary assisted dying, but may still be asked for information and other support.
See Information for medical practitioners for more details, including the steps eligible medical practitioners must take before providing voluntary assisted dying services and the requirement to respond to a patient’s first request.
Health practitioner roles
Health practitioners have a range of roles relating to voluntary assisted dying. They may:
- care for a person who is considering asking for access to voluntary assisted dying.
- care for a person who has asked for voluntary assisted dying
- care for person who is accessing voluntary assisted dying. .
- be asked for information about or access to voluntary assisted dying
- provide information about voluntary assisted dying or a referral, in line with their health service or organisations' policies and procedures
Health practitioners may also support medical practitioners who are providing voluntary assisted dying by:
- participating in conversations with patients, their carers and other treating health practitioners about end of life care.
- discussing appointments related to an assessment for voluntary assisted dying with patients.
- being present and provide comfort care to patients during administration of voluntary assisted dying substance..
Health practitioners should continue to provide usual care (including palliative care) and support to the person, in the same manner as a person receiving any other type of treatment.
Patients can ask their health practitioners about voluntary assisted dying however only a medical practitioner can receive a first request for voluntary assisted dying.
Providing support to patients
Health practitioners should:
- familiarise themselves with their health service or organisations' policies and procedures
- be aware of who they should direct enquiries about voluntary assisted dying to within their health service or organisation.
Health practitioners can refer the person to the Statewide Care Navigator Service if there is no designated person with their health service or organisation to receive enquiries.
Obligation to not suggest or initiate conversations about voluntary assisted dying
A person must raise voluntary assisted dying themselves. Health practitioners cannot initiate a conversation about or suggest voluntary assisted dying to person.
If a person raises voluntary assisted dying with a health practitioner, the health practitioner may provide the person with information or discuss voluntary assisted dying with them.
If a person makes a first request to health practitioner, the health practitioner should inform the person that they must make their request to their medical practitioner.
Managing enquiries from a person's carer or family member
Only a person choosing to access voluntary assisted dying can request it.
A person's carer, family member or friend cannot request voluntary assisted dying on their behalf.
If a patient's carer, family member or friend asks about voluntary assisted dying:
- direct them to further information
- make them aware they cannot make a request on another person’s behalf.
A person who has requested voluntary assisted dying can ask their carer, family or friends to attend appointments with them. A medical practitioner may want to talk with the person on their own first before others join.
Health services and organisations have systems in place to manage requests for voluntary assisted dying. Even if the health service or organisation does not provide voluntary assisted dying, a person and their family may still ask about voluntary assisted dying.
Conscientious objection
In line with professional standards, a health practitioner who conscientiously objects to voluntary assisted dying should not obstruct or unnecessarily delay a patient’s access to information or referral for voluntary assisted dying services.
The health practitioner should inform the person as soon as possible that they will not assist them with their access request and refer them onto the Statewide Care Navigator Service.
A health practitioner who conscientiously objects to voluntary assisted dying is not obliged to provide information about voluntary assisted dying or to refer the person to someone who will assist them.
A health practitioner may conscientiously object to some activities and not others. For example, a health practitioner:
- may be comfortable providing a person with general information or having a conversation about end of life care and voluntary assisted dying.
- may choose not to be present at the time of administration of a voluntary assisted dying substance.
Reviewed 12 June 2024