Position statement on assisted dying

St John of God Health Care models its care on the healing mission of Jesus Christ. This means extending hospitality, hope and healing to all of those we serve. Our values of Hospitality, Compassion, Respect, Justice and Excellence inform all that we do in caring for patients and their families at times of vulnerability in life. We walk with our patients and their families at the end of life, providing palliative care, and pastoral and chaplaincy services that are attuned to the needs of each person.

As a Catholic health care provider, St John of God Health Care welcomes all patients and caregivers to our services, respecting their views and beliefs.  We have a commitment to excellence in end-of-life care, demonstrated through our palliative care and support care services.  We do not support, facilitate, or provide services related to the provision of voluntary assisted dying (VAD).

We help the people in our care to die as comfortably as possible and with dignity, however do not assist people to end their own lives. We will continue to promote and provide health care consistent with our organisation’s values and be guided by the Code of Ethical Standards for Catholic Health and Aged Care Services in Australia.

We believe that comprehensive, excellent and compassionate end of life care that alleviates pain and other symptoms should be provided to all in need, so that no person need resort to contemplating assisted dying. Our experience demonstrates that with the provision of high quality pain management, significant discomfort at the time of death is rare.

Sometimes, when diagnosed with an illness, or during treatment, patients will want to talk to their clinicians and family about a desire for a hastened end to life. Most often these requests are driven by a person’s fear of being a burden to their family and loved ones, or feelings of depression, hopelessness and fear, or a sense of loss of control. Our years of experience in working with patients and their families at the end of life demonstrate that through the provision of appropriate care, these concerns can be successfully addressed.

At St John of God Health Care we recognise that people expect to be able to access high quality care when and where they need it, to be cared for with respect and dignity, and that these rights will be protected as they approach the end of their life. To achieve this requires a commitment to provide people with the care they expect and deserve at end of life, and this requires all involved to increase resources for end of life and palliative care services.

St John of God Health Care supports palliative care research, and we strive to deliver evidence-based high quality palliative care and pain management to patients who are referred to our palliative care services. Our palliative care services specialise in caring for people who are living with life-limiting illnesses. They work along-side primary teams and aim to enhance the care patients receive as illness becomes more complex. 

Specialist palliative care services are available in our public and private hospitals in Western Australia. Our palliative care services utilise the skills of multidisciplinary teams to help prevent and relieve suffering, and optimise quality of life for our patients – physically, spiritually, emotionally, and socially.

We assist those in our care to maintain independence, where this is possible, in order to enable people to live as comfortably as possible. Our clinicians work with patients and their families to keep them fully informed about treatment options, participating in all decisions about their care, and helping them to feel more in control of their situation. Several St John of God Health Care hospitals participate in the Palliative Care Outcomes Collaborative (PCOC), which is a national program working to support improved patient outcomes.

We work collaboratively with a wide range of health care providers in implementing high quality end of life services throughout Australia. This ensures that no matter where patients come to seek our care, we are always able to provide excellent and compassionate end of life care, which is respectful of the inherent dignity of every human life.

At St John of God Health Care, we are committed to increasing the palliative and end of life care services we provide and welcome future initiatives to extend the services we can offer across Australia.

You can read more about our palliative care services here.