Assisted dying/assisted suicide

Health and Social Care Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 5 Dec 2022 Closed: 30 May 2024 Parliament page
The Health and Social Care Committee is holding an inquiry into assisted dying/assisted suicide. The deadline for submitting written evidence or responding to our online form has now passed. We are publishing the written evidence we have received on the publications page of the inquiry. Please note that the written … Read more
6 Recommendations
14 Conclusions
1 Report
5 Oral sessions
2 Letters
5 Events
Activity timeline 14 events
9 May
2024
Report published
17 Apr
2024
Correspondence
29 Feb
2024
Report published
4 Jul
2023
Oral evidence
4 Jul
2023
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 6, Palace of Westminster
27 Jun
2023
Oral evidence
27 Jun
2023
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 16, Palace of Westminster
21 Jun
2023
Correspondence
6 Jun
2023
Oral evidence
6 Jun
2023
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 5, Palace of Westminster
16 May
2023
Oral evidence
16 May
2023
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Wilson Room, Portcullis House
Oral evidence sessions 5 sessions
4 Jul 2023
View on parliament.uk
Dr Matthew Doré · Association for Palliative Medicine of Great Britain and Ireland Dr Paul Perkins · Sue Ryder Helen Whately MP · Department of Health and Social Care Jonathan Ellis · Hospice UK Professor Stephen Powis · NHS England
27 Jun 2023
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Bernhard Sutter · EXIT (Deutsche Schweiz) Dr Georg Bosshard · University of Zürich Dr Yvonne Gilli · Swiss Medical Association (FMH) Professor Samia Hurst-Majno · University of Geneva, and member of the Swiss National Advisory Commission on Biomedical Ethics Silvan Luley · DIGNITAS - To live with dignity - To die with dignity
6 Jun 2023
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Dr Scott Kim · Department of Bioethics at National Institutes of Health USA Professor Irene Tuffrey-Wijne · Kingston University London Professor James Downar · University of Ottawa Professor Jan L Bernheim · Vrije Universiteit Brussels Professor Rutger Jan van der Gaag · Royal Dutch Medical Association Professor Trudo Lemmens · University of Toronto
16 May 2023
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Dr Chandana Banerjee · City of Hope National Medical Center Dr Gary Gheung · University of Auckland Dr Lydia Dugdale · Columbia University Professor Brian Owler · Westmead, the Sydney Adventist Hospital, Norwest Private Hospital and Westmead Private Hospital Professor Roderick MacLeod former Senior Consultant and Senior Medical Specialist in Palliative Care The Hon Kyam Maher MLC · Government of South Australia
28 Mar 2023
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Dr Alexandra Mullock · University of Manchester Dr Naomi Richards · University of Glasgow Professor Nancy Preston · University of Lancaster The Baroness Finlay of Llandaff The Baroness Hollins The Baroness Meacher The Rt Hon. the Lord Falconer of Thoroton
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Second Report - Assisted Dying/Assisted Suicide HC 321 29 Feb 2024 20 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
9 results
Clear
1 Conclusion Deferred
Second Report - Assisted Dying/Ass…
Report offers comprehensive evidence base for future parliamentary debate on difficult AD/AS subject.
Our aim for this report is for it to serve as a basis for discussion and debate in future Parliaments. We have therefore endeavoured to bring together a comprehensive and up-to-date body of evidence relating to this difficult, sensitive, and … Read more
Government Response
The government states that should Assisted Dying/Assisted Suicide legislation be enacted, it will discuss its practical and constitutional implications for England and Wales with the devolved administrations and Crown Dependencies.
Department of Health and Social Care
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3 Conclusion Deferred
Second Report - Assisted Dying/Ass…
Current law on assisted dying and suicide perceived as unclear by some.
A view put forward by some who have provided evidence to us was that the current state of the law is unclear.
Government Response
The government's response details funding for hospices, including £25 million for children's hospices in 2024/25, and discusses disparities in hospice access, completely sidestepping the recommendation regarding the clarity of the law on Assisted Dying/Assisted Suicide.
Department of Health and Social Care
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5 Conclusion Deferred
Second Report - Assisted Dying/Ass…
Issue revised guidance for doctors on providing medical reports for assisted dying abroad.
We also heard about the documentation which has had to be secured as part of the application, including a medical report for the person applying. We note that the General Medical Council’s guidance for Investigation Committees assessing a doctor’s fitness … Read more
Government Response
The government states it does not plan to establish a national strategy for death literacy and outlines existing palliative and end-of-life care strategies and training, but does not address the recommendation for revised guidance from the GMC and BMA on doctors assisting with medical reports for assisted suicide abroad.
Department of Health and Social Care
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7 Conclusion Deferred
Second Report - Assisted Dying/Ass…
Assisted dying introduction has not degraded palliative care; eligibility not expanded beyond terminal illness.
In the evidence we received we did not see any indications of palliative and end- of-life care deteriorating in quality or provision following the introduction of AD/ AS; indeed the introduction of AD/AS has been linked with an improvement in … Read more
Government Response
The government redirects responsibility for any change to the law regarding Assisted Dying/Assisted Suicide to Parliament, stating it is a matter of conscience for individual parliamentarians rather than a government policy matter.
Department of Health and Social Care
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8 Conclusion Deferred
Second Report - Assisted Dying/Ass…
International examples demonstrate complexity of assisted dying debate, providing valuable lessons for the UK.
When we undertook this inquiry, we were keen to learn as much as we could from international examples and we hope that by putting the evidence we have gathered into the public domain, we can help to further inform the … Read more
Government Response
The government redirects responsibility for any change to the law regarding Assisted Dying/Assisted Suicide to Parliament, stating it is a matter of conscience for individual parliamentarians rather than a government policy matter.
Department of Health and Social Care
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9 Conclusion Deferred
Second Report - Assisted Dying/Ass…
Diverse assisted dying models exist; better data collection and independent oversight are crucial.
There are as many ways to operate AD/AS as there are jurisdictions which have legalised it, but there are two distinct models: one limiting its availability to those with a terminal illness and the other adding provision for unbearable suffering. … Read more
Government Response
The government redirects responsibility for any change to the law regarding Assisted Dying/Assisted Suicide to Parliament, stating it is a matter of conscience for individual parliamentarians rather than a government policy matter.
Department of Health and Social Care
View details
10 Conclusion Deferred
Second Report - Assisted Dying/Ass…
Ensure healthcare professionals' participation in assisted dying is voluntary, never imposed, if legalised.
Medical professionals would have an important role in any system of AD/AS, although the details are for Parliament to determine should it move to legalise AD/ AS. During our inquiry we have heard from healthcare professionals who were content to … Read more
Government Response
The government redirects responsibility for any change to the law regarding Assisted Dying/Assisted Suicide to Parliament, stating it is a matter of conscience for individual parliamentarians rather than a government policy matter.
Department of Health and Social Care
View details
11 Conclusion Deferred
Second Report - Assisted Dying/Ass…
Require trained professionals to undertake capacity assessments for assisted dying, particularly for vulnerable groups.
Practice across the world where AD/AS is legal is varied in the respect of capacity assessments for AD/AS. We heard that any such assessment should be undertaken by professionals who have undertaken necessary training on capacity assessments, particularly in relation … Read more
Government Response
The government redirects responsibility for any change to the law regarding Assisted Dying/Assisted Suicide to Parliament, stating it is a matter of conscience for individual parliamentarians rather than a government policy matter.
Department of Health and Social Care
View details
12 Conclusion Deferred
Second Report - Assisted Dying/Ass…
Healthcare professionals express clear hesitation regarding accurately assessing capacity and safeguarding in all cases.
Throughout our inquiry into AD/AS, the importance of safeguards and protections, and the question of whether they can be sufficient, has been a central feature, as has the related question of assessing capacity. Hearing from various representatives of healthcare professionals, … Read more
Government Response
The government redirects responsibility for any change to the law regarding Assisted Dying/Assisted Suicide to Parliament, stating it is a matter of conscience for individual parliamentarians rather than a government policy matter.
Department of Health and Social Care
View details
Government Response AI assessment · 17 of 6 classified
Accepted 6
Accepted in Part 1
Deferred 9
Rejected 1
Total 6 recs + 14 conclusions
Correspondence 2 letters
17 Apr 2024 GMC on the Committee's report on Assisted Dying - Assisted Suicide 25.03.24
Parliament page
21 Jun 2023 Correspondence from the Chair of the Joint Committee on Human Rights on the Committee's inquiry into assisted dying-assisted suicide 08.06.23
Parliament page