Voluntary assisted dying will soon be introduced in Western Australia with the commencement of the Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2019 on 1 July 2021.
This enables a new choice for Western Australians suffering with a terminal illness and the WA Health Implementation Leadership Team (ILT) is focused on supporting general practice and other service providers through this complex process.
Voluntary assisted dying will take place in a variety of settings. Several resources are available to help service providers and staff consider the impact that voluntary assisted dying will have on their service including:
- Fact sheet – Health service and other service providers
- Presentation – Introductory information for health and other service providers
A more detailed resource to assist service providers and staff in preparing for implementation of voluntary assisted dying is:
Fact Sheet – Health service or related care service provider preparation
Implementation of the Act will require an organisation-wide approach for service providers.
This will involve preparing educational resources including a handbook, guidelines and fact sheets, consulting on models of care such as a care navigator service, developing participating practitioner guidelines and overseeing an information and communication technology system solution.
More information on voluntary assisted dying is available on the Department of Health WA website.