End of Life Choice Act - workforce survey

22 March

In early February, the Ministry of Health issued a survey to health practitioners about the implementation of the End of Life Choice Act.

The purpose of the survey was to gain an early understanding of workforce knowledge, understanding and attitudes of practitioners about 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. A response to this survey was not a confirmation of a health professional’s choice to either participate in, or opt out of, the service.

The survey was completely optional.

The survey ran from 1 February to 28 February 2021 and a total of 1,980 responses were received.

Below is a high-level overview of some of the key findings of the survey. These figures represent the views of the health practitioners that opted into completing the survey.

Respondents and participation in principle

• 47 percent of those who responded supported assisted dying in principle
• 53 percent of those who responded opposed assisted dying in principle
• Close to 30 percent of respondents indicated that they would possibly or definitely be willing to provide assisted dying services.

Respondents and their areas of interest

The survey asked respondents what areas of the Act, and the implementation, they would like more information on as implementation planning progresses. The top areas identified by respondents were

• how the process will work end to end
• training and guidance
• support available for clinicians
• funding arrangements.

Responses to the summary are being analysed, including the open-ended answer sections of the survey, and a summary of themes will be shared soon.