Project Background
The NSW Parliament passed the Voluntary Assisted Dying Act
2022 on 19 May, 2022. The purpose of the legislation is
to allow eligible individuals the choice to access voluntary assisted dying,
which will be available in NSW from 28 November, 2023.
As a result, general practitioners (GPs)
and/or practice nurses may receive requests for support in relation to
voluntary assisted dying. Central and Eastern Sydney Primary Health Network
(CESPHN) is trying to better understand how to provide support to GPs and
practice nurses with regards to voluntary assisted dying.
Voluntary
assisted dying means
an eligible person can ask for medical help to end their life. The person must
be in the late stages of an advanced disease, illness or medical condition.
They must also be experiencing pain and suffering they find unbearable. If a
person meets all the criteria and the steps set out in the legislation are
followed, they can administer or be administered a voluntary assisted
dying substance to bring about their death at a time they choose. The
substance must be prescribed by a medical practitioner who is eligible to
provide voluntary assisted dying services.
A person can only access voluntary assisted dying under the law if they meet all of the following criteria:
- They must be an adult (18 years and older), who is an Australian citizen, a permanent resident of Australia, or
have been resident in Australia for at least three continuous years.
- They must have been living in NSW for at least 12 months.
- They must have at least one disease, illness or medical condition that is advanced, progressive and:
- Will, on the balance of
probabilities, cause their death within six months (or within 12 months for
neurodegenerative diseases like motor neurone disease), and
- Is causing the person suffering that cannot be relieved in a way the person considers tolerable.
- They must have decision-making capacity in relation to voluntary assisted dying and be acting voluntarily.
- They must have the ability to make and communicate requests and decisions about voluntary assisted dying
throughout the formal request process.
Purpose of the Survey
We would like to better understand the level
of knowledge that GPs and practice nurses have around voluntary assisted
dying.
How long will the survey take?
It is anticipated that the survey will take around 5 minutes to complete.
Your confidentiality
All responses will remain confidential. Data will be de-identified. No personally identifying information from your
responses will be reported.
Data management
CESPHN manages your data in line with our Privacy Policy, which complies with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2022 (NSW).
Consent
Participation in this survey is voluntary and you may withdraw at any time without reason. If you have any questions about
the survey or project, please contact Jenny Wu via j.wu@cesphn.com.au
Additional Information
If you would like further information on voluntary
assisted dying, please visit HealthPathways.
You can access the SLHD Voluntary Assisted Dying Pathway here.
You can access the SESLHD Voluntary Assisted Dying Pathway here.