Should social workers be involved in assisted dying?

Almost half of social workers believe they should have a role in any future assisted dying process, though others fear the sector would struggle to take on such a role, a poll has found.

This follows the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill passing its second reading in the House of Commons in November 2024.

Under the legislation, a terminally ill person with no more than six months to live could choose to receive assistance to die, so long as they had the mental capacity to make the decision.

To be approved, they would need to be assessed by two separate doctors, and a High Court judge would need to confirm that the legislation’s requirements were met.

However, in light of concerns about people being or feeling coerced into an assisted death, the Association of Palliative Care Social Workers (APCSW) has proposed the establishment of a social work role to safeguard those going through the process.

But do social workers agree?

A Community Care poll with 700 votes found that almost half of practitioners (46%) believed they should be involved in future assisted dying processes. However, over one-third (37%) expressed concerns about the sector’s capacity to accommodate the additional work.

Proposed social work role

The approved palliative care professional position proposed by the APCSW would have the following functions:

• Ensuring that the person had the mental capacity to make this decision.
• Having in-depth discussions with the person, those close to them, the multidisciplinary team responsible for their care and any paid carers.
• Ensuring all reasonable care and resources had been provided and that no other forms of care or treatment could be offered which would alter the person’s choice of an assisted death.
• Making an independent assessment of the individual in the context of their wishes, values and relationships, and ensuring that they were making a fully informed decision without undue influence by others or by concerns about the pressure on others of caring for them.
• Taking timely and sensitive action to safeguard anyone who was subject to neglect, abuse or coercion.

What do you think about the proposed safeguarding role?

Celebrate those who’ve inspired you

Photo by Daniel Laflor/peopleimages.com/ AdobeStock

We’re expanding our My Brilliant Colleague series to include anyone who has inspired you in your career – whether current or former colleagues, managers, students, lecturers, mentors or prominent past or present sector figures whom you have admired from afar.

Nominate your colleague or social work inspiration by filling in our nominations form with a letter or a few paragraphs (100-250 words) explaining how and why the person has inspired you.

If you have any questions, email our community journalist, Anastasia Koutsounia, at anastasia.koutsounia@markallengroup.com