General practitioners (GPs) in England and Wales could receive training to assist terminally ill patients in ending their lives if the proposed assisted dying bill is passed, according to a government dossier. The training would include a 90-minute e-learning course and an hour-long interactive session focused on assisted dying. The documents also suggest a scenario where GPs could undergo a full day of in-person training to gain a deeper understanding of the assisted dying service.
Those who take on the role of coordinating doctor would require additional advanced training. Responsibilities could include explaining the process of how the drugs would induce death, collecting the medication from a pharmacist, and providing it to the patient. While doctors may prepare the substance and assist in its ingestion, the final act must be performed by the patient. The doctor would need to remain with the patient until death or until it is clear that the procedure has failed.
The assisted dying bill, which would permit some terminally ill adults with less than six months to live to choose to die, is set for further debate in Parliament next Friday. It previously passed through the House of Commons but stalled in the House of Lords due to over 1,000 amendments proposed by opponents. MPs will vote again on the new proposals, and if approved, the bill will return to the Lords for further consideration.
Opponents of assisted dying have criticized the proposed training as insufficient for doctors faced with complex life-and-death decisions. The document from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) also outlines that hospital doctors specializing in fields such as cancer, neurology, elderly medicine, and palliative care could receive more intensive training.
England's Chief Medical Officer, Professor Sir Chris Whitty, previously stated that doctors involved in the later stages of assisted dying would require specific training. He noted that many healthcare professionals might engage in initial discussions about assisted dying, but only a minority would participate in the final stages, which would necessitate specialized training.
The dossier indicates that healthcare professionals who do not wish to participate in assisted dying can opt out of the training. The proposed legislation would require terminally ill adults to be approved for assisted death by two doctors and a multidisciplinary panel that includes a senior lawyer, psychiatrist, and social worker.
Dr. Gillian Wright from Our Duty of Care, a network of UK healthcare workers opposing the bill, expressed concerns about the adequacy of the training for doctors involved in assisted dying. She highlighted the risk of vulnerable patients being pressured into choosing assisted dying and the potential lack of training to recognize coercion or undue influence. Dr. Wright emphasized the importance of addressing unmet mental health care needs among terminally ill patients, urging MPs to invest in psychological support and end-of-life care services instead of facilitating assisted dying.
A DHSC spokesman stated that the decision on the assisted dying bill rests with Parliament and reaffirmed the commitment to ensuring high-quality, compassionate care for individuals at the end of life.