Workforce Survey End of Life Choice Act

Overview

The End of Life Choice Act 2019 (the Act) comes into force on 7 November 2021. It enables people who experience unbearable suffering from a terminal illness and who meet all the criteria for assisted dying set out in the Act to legally request medical assistance to end their lives. The Act includes safeguards to ensure anyone seeking this assistance is making an informed decision of their own accord.

The Ministry of Health (the Ministry) has established a new team to manage the implementation and oversight of the Act and is developing a work programme to manage all aspects of implementation. Our team will be working closely with the health and disability sector to further develop the implementation work programme throughout 2021.

Further information on the Act can be found at the website below:

www.health.govt.nz/our-work/regulation-health-and-disability-system/end-life-choice-act

Implementation of the assisted dying service – workforce survey

One of the first priorities is to better understand the views of health practitioners with a specified role under the Act, in relation to assisted dying. A short survey has been designed to give us an early indication of workforce knowledge, understanding and attitudes towards the Act. 

Learning about the number of practitioners who may choose to have a role in the assisted dying service, the settings they currently work in and any specific concerns they may have in relation to the Act will help inform the design, planning, and implementation of the system.

Health practitioners have a right to conscientiously object to providing assisted dying services. It’s important to note that your response to this survey is not a confirmation of your choice to either participate in, or opt out of, the service. The results will help inform our approach to workforce development for an assisted dying service.

The survey will not identify individual responses to the Ministry, and the results will help inform our approach to workforce development for an assisted dying service. We will publish the anonymised results of this survey on our website as part of ensuring a transparent process in implementing the Act.

Thank you for agreeing to participate in this End of Life Choice Implementation workforce survey.

The survey is anonymous and will run from 2 February until 28 February 2021.

Any questions regarding the survey can be directed to EOLC@health.govt.nz.