The Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych) is calling on MPs to consider serious concerns about the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill for England and Wales, ahead of the pivotal Commons Report stage debate and Third Reading.
With too many unanswered questions about the safeguarding of people with mental illness, the College has concluded that it cannot support the Bill in its current form.
RCPsych is once again sharing its expert clinical insight to support MPs in making informed decisions ahead of the debate in Westminster on Friday 16 May 2025.
During the Committee stage of the parliamentary process, the College raised questions about the assessments of the coordinating doctor and independent doctor, and is now raising further questions about the multidisciplinary panel (which would include a psychiatrist) being proposed by the Bill.
Dr Lade Smith CBE, President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said:
"After extensive engagement with our members, and with the expertise of our assisted dying/assisted suicide working group, the RCPsych has reached the conclusion that we are not confident in the Terminally Ill Adults Bill in its current form, and we therefore cannot support the Bill as it stands.
"It’s integral to a psychiatrist’s role to consider how people’s unmet needs affect their desire to live. The Bill, as proposed, does not honour this role, or require other clinicians involved in the process to consider whether someone’s decision to die might change with better support.
"We are urging MPs to look again at our concerns for this once-in-a-generation Bill and prevent inadequate assisted dying/assisted suicide proposals from becoming law."
Source: RCPsych, 13 May 2025
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