We, in the hospice sector have been talking about a possible change in the law around assisted dying in the UK for at least two decades, perhaps longer.
I recall conversations as far back as the early 2000s when Lord Joffe introduced his Patient (Assisted Dying) Bill, followed by renewed discussion when high profile cases such as Debbie Purdy, Tony Nicklinson and Noel Conway came into the public view. I have been part of national, local and profession-specific speculation about whether a change in the law is likely or helpful and have heard the many different voices and thoughts of leaders within and beyond palliative care in these deliberations.
And yet, many of us (as individuals and groups identified by professional background or where we work) feel unprepared for the increasingly likely future in which assisted dying becomes legal in England and Wales.
Importantly, paid staff and volunteers in the hospice sector are, at best, curious about what a change in the law could mean for them, their organisations and the relationship that hospices have with their public in the future.
More concerning (and common in my experience) is an anxiety that they will be required to engage in difficult discussions and participate in processes that fall outside their appreciation to date of what constitutes high-quality palliative care.
Some are worried that they may have to leave their roles to protect their values and an enduring commitment to well-developed principles of hospice and palliative care.
In turn, organisational leaders recognise new risks around staff and volunteer retention and their wellbeing as the new parliamentary bill is developed, and the likelihood that their workforce becomes divided or confused about the implications, making any corporate response difficult to design or land.
St Christopher’s and Public Service Works (PSW) are working together to respond positively to this situation.
Based on a successful pilot at St Christopher’s in early 2024, PSW is interested to work with other hospices to offer facilitated conversations for their paid staff and/or volunteers where they can talk in a safe, supported and constructive way about their beliefs, concerns and aspirations around assisted dying.
The feedback from over 100 participants at St Christopher’s suggested that participants welcomed the opportunity to take advantage of such a space to express their views openly and to understand the range of perspectives which existed amongst colleagues.
“Love the chance to think in the moment, speak personally.“
“Invigorating, liberating”
“It’s good to have a dedicated safe space to have conversations.“
“And also to be challenged. We need to keep talking about it”
The messages from the conversations were analysed thematically and the anonymised views were then communicated to participants and leaders of the hospice – also well received.
“I feel immensely proud that we can talk about difficult views, and it doesn’t fracture us but prepares us for what’s coming down the track”
The process proposed by PSW involves a series of small, skillfully facilitated, group events, each lasting approximately 2 hours, where participants will be able to share their views and feelings with each other. The key messages/emerging themes from the events will be written up anonymously, available for presentation to participants and the hospice leaders.
Colleagues from PSW and St Christopher’s believe that the conversations and the information which they generate could have many benefits.
Importantly, these conversations could enable individual hospice staff and volunteers to share their thoughts and concerns and to find peer support for what comes next. They could also help hospice leaders to identify areas and issues where education, broader professional development and engagement may be particularly helpful. In addition, any aggregated findings could help hospices think about implications for practice and related policy and legislative implications.
PSW are ready to provide this and are providing it at a special rate to support the hospice sector at this challenging time. To find out more about the process and related costs contact their team by email contact@publicserviceworks.com .
Colleagues at St Christopher’s are happy to share their experience of the work also. Contact Heather Richardson H.Richardson@stchristophers.org.uk to know more.
On Thursday 20th February at 11am, Hospice UK will host a webinar with St Christopher’s and PSW to describe in more detail about the process and the learning to date.
If you are work for a hospice and would like to attend the Hospice UK webinar on Assisted Dying: Engage and support you workforce, click the link here.
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