Voluntary Assisted Dying
Information and Resources
In May 2022, the NSW Parliament passed the Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2022. Effective from Tuesday, 28 November 2023, eligible people will have the choice to access voluntary assisted dying. This page contains links to available information and resources.
Information for primary health professionals
The Voluntary Assisted Dying legislation has many safeguards to ensure voluntary assisted dying is safe, accessible and appropriate. NSW Health will provide ongoing information to health practitioners.
NSW Health is launching a free Voluntary Assisted Dying Care Navigator service to support health professionals and community members. This service will be accessed by a phone helpline that will open on 28 November 2023.
The Voluntary Assisted Dying Care Navigator service will be available to provide support to anyone involved with voluntary assisted dying in NSW. This includes patients, the family and carers of patients, members of the community, health practitioners and service providers.
The care navigator service will:
- provide information and support to patients and other community members with questions about or wishing to seek access to voluntary assisted dying
- support queries from practitioners and coordinate ongoing training and support for coordinating, consulting and administering practitioners
- advise patients how to raise voluntary assisted dying with their clinical care team and, in some circumstances, connect them with coordinating, consulting, and administering practitioners.
A voluntary assisted dying awareness training module for NSW healthcare workers is now available. This is intended for any healthcare worker in NSW, including those in the public and private healthcare system.
Upon completing this awareness training module, healthcare workers will be able to:
- outline the broad concepts of voluntary assisted dying in NSW
- identify the obligations of healthcare workers in NSW under the Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2022
- where appropriate, guide patients and their families to find further information and support resources on voluntary assisted dying.
Healthy North Coast hosted two webinars for primary care clinicians::
- Part 1 – Clinical pathways for GPs, 17 October 2023
- Part 2 – Local pathways for patients and community, 19 October 2023
RACGP, in partnership with NSW Health:
- Introduction to Voluntary Assisted Dying, 1 March 2023
- Voluntary Assisted Dying implementation, 16 October 2023
NSW Health:
- NSW Voluntary Assisted Dying Conference, 29 September 2023
- Voluntary Assisted Dying Implementation webinar, 7 February 2023
All healthcare workers in NSW have obligations under the Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2022, including those with a conscientious objection. The healthcare worker obligations information provides guidance for healthcare workers in NSW on their obligations in providing support for patients seeking information about or access to voluntary assisted dying.
The NSW VAD Access Standard sets out how the Ministry of Health facilitates access to voluntary assisted dying for residents of NSW including:
- voluntary assisted dying services provided by medical practitioners and other persons who carry out functions under the Act
- prescribed substances
- information about accessing voluntary assisted dying.
The document also details what steps have been taken to facilitate access for people living in regional or remote areas.
To know more about how to become an authorised voluntary assisted dying practitioner in NSW, visit the NSW Voluntary Assisted Dying Portal.
The NSW Voluntary Assisted Dying Clinical Practice Handbook aims to support authorised practitioners to understand the voluntary assisted dying process in NSW, their roles and responsibilities and how to comply with the Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2022.
Information for community members
NSW Health is launching a free Voluntary Assisted Dying Care Navigator service to support community members and health professionals. This service will be accessed by a phone helpline that will open on 28 November 2023.
