Empathy in Every Step: Our Approach to Voluntary Assisted Dying in New South Wales

Foreword

ADSSI Limited trades as Adssi In-home Support, Beresfield Community Care, Dungog & District Neighbourcare and Maitland Community Care Services. We provide a range of home support services (such as domestic assistance, personal care, transport, home modifications, clinical and end-of-life care) to older people, people who live with disability and those in palliative care who wish to die at home.

On 19 May 2022, the New South Wales Parliament passed the Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2022 (VAD Act), which legalised VAD in the state. This act aligns NSW with other Australian states that have already passed similar legislation. The VAD Act will come into effect in NSW on 28 November 2023, allowing people who meet strict eligibility criteria to commence the process to access VAD from that date onwards.

VAD is pertinent to home care providers like ADSSI because it has implications for end-of-life care and client choice.

The legalisation means that home care providers may find themselves in the position of supporting individuals who choose to access VAD services at home. They may need to ensure information and resources are available, provide emotional support to clients and their families, and support communication and collaboration with healthcare professionals involved in the process. Home care providers play a crucial role in delivering personalised care and ensuring the comfort and dignity of individuals choosing VAD as an end-of-life option.

Our position

Here at ADSSI, we believe that home care services (domestic and clinical) for our community’s most vulnerable must be person-centred. Our values underpin how we deliver care: Professional, Respectful, Integrity, Client-Focussed and Excellence.

The official position of ADSSI regarding the legalisation of VAD remains that we provide compassionate and professional client care to our clients without judgment. We are committed to supporting people in making decisions about their end-of-life care and to helping them access the information they need to choose the type of care that they would like to receive.

If a client embarks on the VAD journey through their medical team, we will respond with sensitivity and respect and continue to provide them with care and services. ADSSI recognises the highly personal nature of this decision and strives to approach it with the utmost professionalism, compassion, and impartiality.

The role of ADSSI

VAD can be part of the end-of-life (EoL) discussion in NSW. EoL planning is carried out by the patient’s treating medical team, not ADSSI, and appropriate options should be included in discussions with that team about EoL.

The role of ADSSI staff in this process is to support the client’s clinical and home care needs throughout their journey to the end-of-life, regardless of the pathway chosen by the client. Staff will not be active participants in the client’s self-administered or practitioner-administered VAD as it is out of scope for ADSSI staff to do that.

How we support our staff

While ADSSI staff will not have a direct role in VAD, there may be staff providing care and support to clients who choose this option as their end-of-life pathway.

ADSSI staff will receive training, information, and resources on the VAD pathway. Staff who are challenged by VAD due to personal beliefs and/or circumstances will freely be able to opt out of providing care to clients who have chosen this pathway. Staff who elect to provide services to clients who choose VAD will be provided with other, more formal support to ensure their well-being.