Doctors must raise other options to assisted dying, MP says

Doctors would have to raise other treatment options when discussing assisted dying with a patient, under proposals put forward by the MP behind the legislation.

Kim Leadbeater said it was necessary to "enhance" the bill, currently being examined in Parliament, and strengthen safeguards.

It comes after MPs scrutinising the legislation spent three days listening to evidence from around 50 experts, with some raising concerns people could be pushed towards a path they did not want.

If approved, the bill would allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales expected to die within six months to seek help to end their own life.

Leadbeater has tabled several amendments, including that in their first conversation with a patient doctors cannot raise assisted dying in isolation but must also set out other treatment, palliative or hospice care available.

Under her proposals, doctors would also need to produce a detailed report on the patient, including an assessment of their mental capacity and any risk of coercion.

Training on these issues would have to be provided, with experts in both capacity and coercion as well as the Equality and Human Rights Commission consulted before training is put in place.

Leadbeater said she was conscious of advice from chief medical officer Sir Chris Whitty that the system should not end up as a "bureaucratic thicket", which is too difficult for patients to navigate.

"We need to give terminally ill people choice, autonomy and dignity whilst ensuring the most rigorous safeguards are embedded in the legislation," the MP for Spen Valley said.

"With that in mind, I believe this bill provides an opportunity to develop the very best end of life care, conversations and choice with 'gold standard' training."

In a letter to MPs, Leadbeater wrote: "It is extremely important to get the details of the legislation right, and enhance it where necessary, particularly with regard to safeguards, but we must also not lose sight of the fact that the current legal situation is unacceptable and deeply problematic, inflicting terrible injustices on terminally ill people and their families at their most vulnerable time."

In evidence to MPs last week, Dan Scorer, head of policy and public affairs at disability charity Mencap, said how an initial conversation about assisted dying was conducted was "potentially an extremely risky and dangerous moment for people with a learning disability who are terminally ill".

He raised concerns that it could be "highly suggestive and push people in a course that they don't, they may not want to go down".

He added that Mencap believes initial conversations would have to be "incredibly well supported and structured" with an advocate present.

MPs backed proposals to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales in November, by a majority of 55.

However, it will be debated further by the House of Commons and Lords later in the year, and will require the approval of both before it becomes law.

A committee of MPs is expected to begin line-by-line scrutiny of the bill on 11 February and further changes could be proposed.