Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD), or euthanasia, is now legal in every state in Australia, and both territories have ambitions to introduce their own legislation. Since its introduction, over 5,300 individuals have sought VAD services and of those, around 2,500 people have used VAD medication to end their lives.
Figures from around the country suggest there is growing acceptance of VAD and that increasing numbers of people will make use of the service. What are the implications of VAD for policies and practices around patient-centred end-of-life care?
What impact will the availability of VAD have on existing palliative care services? How can policy makers best respond to the challenge of working to find common ground between VAD providers and palliative care providers so patients facing the end of life might have access to a number of health care options?
