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Assisted Dying Bill House of Lords – 22 October 2021

The APM is the world’s largest representative body for doctors practicing or interested in Palliative Medicine. We aim to ensure that no one need die in distress or discomfort for lack of access to adequate specialist palliative care. Baroness Meacher’s Bill seriously undermines this. We have offered the APM’s perspective because our members core practice is care for those at the end of life.

We do not comment on AD itself, but the substantial risks and consequences of legislating for doctors to be involved. The APM’s membership’s position on this, based on recent, independent polls, is clear.

“Assisting Dying” (AD) is a loose term that covers assisting suicide and administering euthanasia. Baroness Meacher’s Bill is vague, ambiguous, and silent on many key issues. This is remarkable for legislation that changes fundamentally a doctor’s duty of care:

it contains no safeguards to exclude errors, bias, or criminality
it leaves the door wide open to relaxing safeguards and eligibilities in the future, including bringing in euthanasia
there is nothing in the Bill to protect people at vulnerable times in their lives, and particularly elderly or disabled people
There is no attempt to fill the existing shortfall in specialist palliative care that experiences of bad deaths show to be so badly needed

The UK has led the world in the research and development of hospice and palliative care, pain and symptom control.

Over 300 people a day in this country suffer unnecessarily due to lack of access to specialist palliative care services
During the pandemic palliative care was widely called upon to help
Despite this, it remains a statutory service that is neither funded nor commissioned across the NHS in any consistent form
Most service funding is through voluntary donation
AD Legislation also signals that the UK is abandoning efforts to improve care of the dying.

We have urged Parliamentarians to reject this Bill. Some of our concerns are outlined in the attached document here.

Dr Amy Proffitt, President Association for Palliative Medicine

Dr Rosie Bronnert, Chair Science and Ethics Committee Association for Palliative Medicine

Dr Jasmine Lee and Dr Simon Etkind, Co-chairs Trainees Committee Association for Palliative Medicine

Dear colleagues,

The COVID-19 outbreak currently being experienced around the world is unprecedented and requires everyone to work together to contribute to the health and well-being of populations as well as ensure that appropriate guidance and sharing of good practice occurs. This is essential in order to support the care of patients at the end of their lives or who are significantly unwell as the result of both COVID-19 or other possibly life-limiting illnesses.

This guidance, which is been prepared for secondary care initially and is not intended to be comprehensive, has been prepared and collated locally by the Northern Care Alliance NHS Group and the Association for Palliative Medicine of Great Britain and Ireland. While it is not nationally endorsed by the National Health Service, it may be useful to colleagues throughout the country when preparing their own guidance.

Please feel free to use, adapt and share this guidance appropriately, acknowledging where specific individuals have been identified as contributing to discrete parts of the guidance.

This guidance is subject to change as developments occur. Every effort will be made to keep this guidance up to date. Additional information can be found at on the Government website.

As far as is possible in such a short period of time, the information contained within this document has been checked by experts from across the palliative care profession. However, neither the Northern Care Alliance NHS Group nor the Association for Palliative Medicine of Great Britain and Ireland can accept any responsibility for errors or omissions in this document.

Covid-19 and Palliative, End of Life and Bereavement Care - Word

Covid-19 and Palliative, End of Life and Bereavement Care - PDF

Priority medicines for palliative and end of life care during a pandemic

What is Palliative Medicine?

Palliative medicine provides clinical leadership, care and support to prevent and relieve suffering for people with life-limiting and life-threatening illness.

• Its diagnostic and therapeutic priorities focus on meeting every individual patient’s goals through shared decision-making with them and those important to them
• It is practiced both as part of multidisciplinary palliative care teams and in partnership with other relevant specialties to deliver individualised, holistic care
• It is a medical specialty recognised by the respective nations’ Royal Colleges of Physicians

Palliative Medicine’s specific expertise is in:
• Assessing and managing physical, psychological and spiritual symptoms and in mitigating distress
• Clinical analysis of and decision-making in complex scenarios, such as when a patient’s clinical needs, preferences and interests are finely balanced and may require skilled application of relevant ethical and legal guidance
• Skilled communication about and co-ordination of care, especially at disease transitions and boundaries between care settings
• Working with partners, colleagues and organisations across multiple sectors to provide excellent multidisciplinary care for patients and those important to them
• Care and support to those important to the patient, including facilitating their bereavement care

Join the APM today

Join our growing community – The Association for Palliative Medicine of Great Britain and Ireland (APM) is the world’s largest representative body for professionals practicing or interested in Palliative Medicine, with a growing membership of over 1,000. We welcome international members and Allied Health Professionals.

• Full and Associate membership is open to professionals practicing or interested in palliative medicine
• Student membership is open to undergraduate medical students

We work in strategic alliance with those who can contribute to achieving our vision, supporting our values and delivering our aims.

Membership Benefits

Networks
APM Bi-Monthly Bulletin
Membership of the European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC)
Palliative Medicine journal
BMJ Supportive and Palliative Care journal
Palliative Care Formulary (PCF) **
Quarterly paper copies of the BMJ SPC Journal
Study days and other meetings
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