A note from the CEO of Palliative Care NSW
The Voluntary Assisted Dying legislation has passed and will become law in NSW around November 2023. Much discussion has taken place – much has been misinformed – all has been heartfelt. There is no doubt that Palliative Care has received some very unfair and incorrect commentary during the process of the legislation being developed. Health professionals and volunteers who choose to work in Palliative Care do so because they understand how important it is to have careful, professional care as people reach the end of their lives. They are rightly proud of their clinical and interpersonal skills. It is now time to fully commit to increasing ongoing support for Palliative Care across NSW.
We released our position paper on Voluntary Assisted Dying in 2021 and it is available here https://palliativecarensw.org.au/about/statements-and-submissions/
We are developing dedicated pages on our website and Facebook page to answer VAD questions. We will be working with the NSW government, our colleagues from other states where VAD has been in place for a time and with employers in NSW to gather as much information as we can to provide appropriate support to you as we approach the time when Voluntary Assisted Dying becomes law in NSW. We encourage our members to engage in ongoing conversations with us to enable us to best address your concerns.
Linda Hansen