Source · Select Committees · Health and Social Care Committee

Recommendation 11

11 Deferred Paragraph: 210

Require trained professionals to undertake capacity assessments for assisted dying, particularly for vulnerable groups.

Conclusion
Practice across the world where AD/AS is legal is varied in the respect of capacity assessments for AD/AS. We heard that any such assessment should be undertaken by professionals who have undertaken necessary training on capacity assessments, particularly in relation to vulnerable groups.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government redirects responsibility for any change to the law regarding Assisted Dying/Assisted Suicide to Parliament, stating it is a matter of conscience for individual parliamentarians rather than a government policy matter.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference: 210
Government Response Deferred
HM Government · verbatim extract Deferred
The long-held position of successive UK governments is that any change to the law of England and Wales in this area is a matter for Parliament and an issue of conscience for individual parliamentarians rather than one for government policy. It would be for the UK Parliament to develop a specific proposal on AD/AS reform, not the Government, because this is a matter of conscience.
Read the full response on Parliament ↗