@drduck2012
Academic, Business Person, Non-Executive Director, Charity Trustee, Author. Metamodernism, Metacrisis, Pollycrisis, Bend not Break, Authentic Progress, Degrowth, Doughnut Economics, Wellbeing – my comments are my own and not organisations I'm involved with
By introducing an Assisted Dying Commission led by a High Court Judge & expert panels to oversee every decision, the safeguards of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill are enhanced further with a multidisciplinary layer of protection⬇️
This stage of the process is for scrutiny, analysis, consideration of the evidence, so all witnesses were selected for their expertise. Together, we can deliver a Bill back to the Commons that protects the most vulnerable and gives dying people a true choice at the end of life. 7/7
This bill is motivated by a non-partisan recognition that the status quo is untenable for dying people and their families who are currently abandoned in a system that protects no one. 6/7
Similarly, safeguarding against coercion is already a vital part of the exceptional care thousands of nurses across the country already deliver across the UK. Vigilance is key - and can co-exist with a safe route to choice. 5/7
The Mental Capacity Act is the right place to start in terms of determining if a patient can make this decision. It's been tried and tested. It's used every day. Doctors are confident using it and it strikes the right balance - protecting both them and their patients. 4/7
"Please don't put barriers in the way of understanding." Many witnesses, incl. the BMA Ethics Chair, urged simple safeguards to prevent barriers to access & understanding. Doctors need open convos to get to the heart of patients' end-of-life wants & needs. 3/7
The goals of good palliative care & assisted dying are the same: to understand & respect dying people's choices. We can help doctors put patient wishes at the heart of end-of-life care. In Dr Chloe Furst's words, voluntary assisted dying practitioner in Aus: 2/7
Having had the weekend to reflect on the wealth of info from oral witnesses last week for my Private Members' Bill on Choice at the End of Life, I keep coming back to five things that really stuck with me 🧵 #AssistedDying 1/7
I have just joined Blue sky and will no longer be posting on X (Twitter) – a new beginning, a brighter future and keen to connect with like-minded people.
