Medi-Nav Orientation Resource v6, 2024

| 3 4.11 Voluntary Assisted Dying Voluntary assisted dying became available to eligible Queenslanders on 1 January 2023. Voluntary assisted dying is an additional end-of-life choice that gives eligible people who are suffering and dying the option of asking for medical assistance to end their lives. There are strict eligibility criteria for accessing voluntary assisted dying. The Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2021 (the Act) outlines strict eligibility criteria for persons accessing voluntary assisted dying. A person must meet all the eligibility criteria to access voluntary assisted dying: • Have an eligible disease, illness or medical condition • Have decision-making capacity • Be acting voluntarily and without coercion • Be at least 18 years of age • Fulfil residency requirements. There are 3 key roles in Queensland’s voluntary assisted dying process—coordinating, consulting, and administering practitioners, which are collectively referred to as authorised voluntary assisted dying practitioners. Medical practitioners can apply to participate in Queensland’s voluntary assisted dying scheme as coordinating, consulting, and administering practitioners. To be eligible to participate in voluntary assisted dying in Queensland as a coordinating, consulting, or administering practitioner, a medical practitioner must: • hold specialist registration and have practiced for at least 1 year as the holder of specialist registration, OR • hold general registration and have practiced for at least 5 years as the holder of general registration, OR • hold specialist registration and have practiced for at least 5 years as the holder of general registration. Nurse practitioners and registered nurses can also participate in Queensland’s voluntary assisted dying scheme as administering practitioners. The law respects the rights of healthcare workers to not provide voluntary assisted dying. Medical practitioners, healthcare workers and health services need to be aware of their rights, roles and responsibilities as detailed in the Act. Medical practitioners can choose not to participate in the voluntary assisted dying process, but all medical practitioners have obligations under the Act. These are: • Initiating a discussion—providing specific information if the medical practitioner initiates a conversation about voluntary assisted dying with a person. • Responding to a first request—following a set process when receiving a first request for access to voluntary assisted dying. • Completing a cause of death certificate—following mandatory steps when completing a cause of death certificate for a person who died by accessing voluntary assisted dying. Developed in partnership with Queensland University of Technology, education modules for | 59