Scrutiny Report Published on Assisted Dying Proposals
14th May 2024
The Assisted Dying Review Panel has published a report following its review into the detailed final proposals for Assisted Dying, which will be debated in the States Assembly next week.
To inform the report, the Panel analysed the extensive body of existing evidence collated by Government throughout its development of the final proposals for Assisted Dying in Jersey, and questioned the Minister for Health and Social Services, Deputy Tom Binet, during a Public Hearing on 3rd April.
The Panel's report includes four key recommendations, 12 recommendations, and 28 findings. The Panel's key recommendations relate to:
- Palliative and end of life care services;
- Training to identify and prevent coercion;
- Prioritisation of patient wishes about locations for assisted dying; and
- The Panel's amendment to the final proposals.
The Panel lodged an amendment to the proposals earlier this month which would remove references to "direct" and "directly" regarding participation in Assisted Dying and give more clarity and flexibility when interpreting the words "participate" and "participation".
If the Assembly votes to approve the proposals in next week's States Meeting, the process of drafting the legislation will begin. The Assembly would then need to vote to approve the draft legislation in a future States Meeting before the Assisted Dying service would come into force.
Deputy Louise Doublet, Chair of the Panel, said:
"Assisted Dying is one of the most important areas of policy and legislation that any States Assembly will ever be asked to consider. How we deal with death and dying in our community is just as important as the way we deal with life and living."
"The Minister's decision to shorten the lodging period from 12 to 9 weeks has meant that as a Panel, we have worked within an extremely tight timeframe. I am proud of the way we have given full and robust consideration to the weighty issues at hand […] in order to present Members and the public with this evidence-based report."
Read the Panel's full report here.
About the Assisted Dying Review Panel
The Assisted Dying Review Panel is chaired by Deputy Louise Doubet, with Vice Chair Deputy Catherine Curtis and panel member Deputy Sir Philip Bailhache.
You can read more about the work of the Panel here.
The recording of the Panel's hearing with the Minister for Health and Social Services can be watched back here.
If you are affected by the issues raised by this Panel, you can contact:
Adult mental health (gov.je)
Bereavement Support | Jersey Hospice Care
Back to news
