Under the Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2021 (the Act), eligible medical practitioners who have both registered in the Clinical Portal and completed the mandatory training are the only health practitioners able to undertake the assessments required to enable someone to access voluntary assisted dying in South Australia.
However, other health practitioners (such as medical practitioners who have not registered and trained to provide voluntary assisted dying services, registered nurses, allied health professionals etc.) may receive requests for information from patients about voluntary assisted dying or be asked to provide communication support, a specialist opinion, or act as a Contact Person.
For more information, visit the Health practitioner resources page.
The Voluntary Assisted Dying Clinical Guideline for Health Practitioners and Assessing Decision Making Capacity Tool (PDF 120KB) are resources for health professionals to understand eligibility, the Voluntary Assisted Dying Pathway and their obligations under the Act.
Health service establishments delivering acute, palliative care, and residential care and primary/community health care also have a range of responsibilities and considerations in relation to facilitating voluntary assisted dying.
For more information resources available to support health service establishments to understand these responsibilities, visit the Health service resources page.
Interpreters play an important role in facilitating communication of a person’s wishes of their choice. If you are an interpreter and you would like to know more about voluntary assisted dying in South Australia, visit the Interpreter information page.