Question On Notice No. 1150 asked in the Legislative Council on 1 December 2022 by Hon Nick Goiran
Question Directed to the: Leader of the House representing the Minister for Health
Parliament: 41 Session: 1
Question
I refer to the ‘Year in Review’ on page 5 of the Voluntary
Assisted Dying Board Western Australia Annual Report 2021-22 details the
process of a voluntary assisted dying request, from ‘First Request’ to the
administration of voluntary assisted dying substances causing the death of the
patient. In the key milestones
identified on page 9 of the Annual Report, it is noted that the Voluntary
Assisted Dying Act 2019 commenced in full and that voluntary assisted dying
was accessed in Western Australia for the first time on 26 July 2021, 25 days after
Voluntary Assisted Dying was legally made available to patients., and I ask:
(a) from the data extracted from the Voluntary
Assisted Dying Information Management System (VAD-IMS), of the 190 voluntary
assisted dying deaths reported in 2021-22 what was the average number of days
between a patient’s First Request and their death caused by the administration
of voluntary assisted dying substances;
(b) what was the shortest number of days recorded
between a patient’s First Request and their death caused by the administration
of voluntary assisted dying substances in the 2021-22 reporting period; and
(c) what was the longest number of days recorded
between a patient’s First Request and their death caused by the administration
of voluntary assisted dying substances in the 2021-22 reporting period?
Answered on 14 February 2023
(a) 38 days.
(b) Two days. Under section 49(3) of the Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2019 (WA), a shorter timeframe for a final request to be made, is authorised where the coordinating practitioner for the patient is of the opinion that the patient is likely to die, or to lose decision-making capacity in relation to voluntary assisted dying, before the end of the designated period and the opinion of the coordinating practitioner is consistent with the opinion of the consulting practitioner for the patient.
(c) 224 days.