Positional Statement on Assisted Dying

Supportive Care (UK) Ltd was established to address shortfalls in access to specialist palliative care advice and support, and is the largest provider of consultant-led palliative care advice in the country. As a company we believe that where a patient lives, or where they are cared for, should not be an impediment to them accessing the right care and treatment.  

At the heart of our work is the belief that every patient who has palliative care needs matters, and through our work we endeavour to contribute to a society that values the lives of the most vulnerable. We believe that a move to legalise assisted dying in the United Kingdom risks altering society's attitude towards the elderly, seriously ill, and disabled, with the potential of sending a message that assisted dying is an option that ought to be considered to avoid people becoming a burden on their loved ones, or because they might not be able to access the care and treatment they require to maintain their dignity and live a meaningful life until its natural end. We are committed to the ideal of universal access to high quality palliative care, and believe this should be the focus of government rather than legalisation of assisted dying.  

Safeguards proposed for assisted dying are idealistic and do not reflect real-world stresses. There is the risk that decisions to opt for assisted dying may not be truly voluntary and could be impacted by a sense of obligation, coercion or social or financial pressures. This can be seen in countries such as Canada and Holland where the scope of assisted dying laws has widened to include medically assisted dying for those without a terminal illness, and numbers seeking assisted suicide in these countries are rising, raising inevitable concerns about the potential for the widening of eligibility criteria in the United Kingdom and the implications for vulnerable groups.  

Our medical team at Supportive Care (UK) Ltd would not engage in any activity that is supportive of assisted dying. We believe that if doctors were obliged to advise on the provision of drugs with the intention of ending life, this could undermine the essential trust in the doctor-patient relationship and erode the confidence in our services. We fear that patients might worry that their health professionals will give up on efforts to support them and relieve their distress, and doctors could be perceived as viewing assisted dying as an easier solution.

At Supportive Care (UK) Ltd, we believe the role of our medical team is to support patients to live as well and as comfortably as possible until natural death, not to assist in deliberately bringing about their deaths prematurely. While we do not support any involvement in assisted dying, we are committed to collaborating with our partners to provide the highest standard of pain and symptom control, as well as end-of-life advice. If a consultant is specifically asked for information on assisted dying, we would respectfully refer them to the relevant hospice or hospital guidelines, rather than offering an opinion ourselves.