IMMEDIATE RELEASE (29/08/2025)
The Homecare Association welcomes new research from the Nuffield Trust exposing significant blind spots in how other countries have implemented assisted dying legislation - and warns the UK Government risks repeating these mistakes.
The comprehensive study, which analysed implementation of assisted dying across 15 jurisdictions in 9 countries, reveals that homecare workers and social care providers are "largely missing from legislation, guidance, and research evidence" despite playing crucial roles in end-of-life care.
This matters because the research shows that internationally most assisted deaths happen at home - ranging from 38% in Canada to 88% in Washington State. Yet the Government continues to overlook the very workers who provide care in people's homes.
The research also identifies that the UK's existing lack of coordination in end-of-life care services already presents significant challenges for individuals and their carers - problems that may be "compounded by adding assisted dying to the mix."
Dr Jane Townson OBE, Chief Executive of the Homecare Association, said:
"We urge the Government not to plan for assisted dying as if it happens only in an NHS vacuum, when the reality is homecare workers are often the first to spot changes in someone's condition or state of mind. They build relationships with the people they support over months and years, yet they're completely ignored in the planning.
"We already know that families struggle to navigate end-of-life care in the UK - people get bounced between GPs, hospitals, hospices and social services with no one taking overall responsibility except their homecare workers. Without proper coordination and without including homecare workers in training and guidance, it's a recipe for confusion, delays and potentially dangerous gaps in care.”
ENDS
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Notes to editors:
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The full Nuffield Trust report is available here.
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The Homecare Association contributed to the research as a stakeholder organisation on the project advisory group.
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We retain a neutral position on the legalisation of assisted dying in the UK. We are committed to supporting evidence-based research, which supports decision makers in understanding the impact of policy decisions and practical considerations of delivering policy in practice.