Implementing voluntary assisted dying locally: An examination of institutional responses to voluntary assisted dying
Casey Haining1, Australian Centre for Health Law Research, Queensland University of Technology Brisbane 1Australian Centre for Health Law Research, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Abstract
Victoria and Western Australia were the two first states to introduce voluntary assisted dying (VAD) laws in Australia. Given patients accessing VAD are necessarily terminally ill, it is not uncommon for patients to also be receiving care from institutions (e.g. community nursing, hospitals, specialist palliative care units and/or aged care facilities). Legislation operating in each state is silent with respect to institutional participation, and is instead determined by policy, and predominately at the local level (i.e. at the level of the institution).
In this presentation, findings from semi-structured interviews conducted with Victorian and Western Australian regulators (n=18) representing 15 institutions with varying levels of support for VAD will be reported. It will explore how institutions settled on a position, operationalised their position into a response (including the nature of the response), and the awareness of the response and how it has been received. Our preliminary analysis reveals that there is great diversity in local approaches (and the degree to which institutions support and facilitate VAD). It also uncovered that an institution’s position on VAD (whether supportive or not) is not necessarily indicative of the extent access to VAD will be facilitated by the institution. These findings have relevance for institutions seeking to implement (or revise) local responses to VAD and suggest that greater transparency around local processes and policies is needed.
Authors: Casey Haining (presenting author), Lindy Willmott (non-presenting author) and Ben White (non-presenting author)
Biography
Casey Haining is a research fellow at the Australian Centre for Health Law Research, Queensland University of Technology.