BGS responds to assisted dying vote

The BGS is deeply concerned that the House of Commons has voted to approve the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. As previously outlined, we have serious concerns that older people, who would be significantly affected by the Bill, and those specialising in older people’s healthcare have been excluded from the debate. The majority of deaths in the UK are in older people, and international data illustrates that most assisted deaths in countries where assisted dying has been legalised are in people over the age of 65. The needs of older people are considerably different to those of people dying at a younger age. Older people often have multiple health conditions, including frailty, requiring the expertise of healthcare professionals specialising in older people. As it stands, the bill does not provide adequate provisions to support the complex needs of older people.

Our key concerns about the Bill are:

  1. Older people and those specialising in older people’s healthcare will be significantly affected by the Bill, but were excluded from the debate
  2. There are inadequate safeguards to protect older people from harm
  3. The Bill does not sufficiently consider the role of healthcare professionals other than doctors
  4. The unequal and inadequate provision of palliative and end of life care in the UK is not recognised within the Bill
  5. Assisted dying should be a separate service to palliative and end of life care
  6. It is difficult to predict when an older person may die

We urge members of the House of Lords to give these issues due consideration in their upcoming deliberations.

Professor Jugdeep Dhesi, President of the BGS, said: 

Without significant amendments, this Bill does not adequately support the complex needs of older people dying with multiple conditions. The Bill fails to emphasise the need for holistic assessment, which in certain cases may identify treatable needs. Moving forwards, we would welcome the opportunity to work with the House of Lords to ensure that the Bill protects older people from feeling coerced into an assisted death and supports the workforce to deliver quality palliative care for all."