NSW Voluntary Assisted Dying laws prompt concerns about doctor training

Fears have been raised about scant training for doctors to spot elder abuse and coercion when they approve voluntary assisted deaths under the current laws being debated in NSW parliament.

Concerns have been raised by experts about scant training for doctors to spot elder abuse and coercion when they approve voluntary assisted deaths under the current laws being debated in NSW parliament.

And with Sydney’s skyrocketing house prices, the “real” possibility of “inheritance impatience” by adult children has also been raised as a red flag.

In Victoria, the training for the euthanasia doctors to detect bullying, coercion or elder abuse is a six minute online course, half of which consists of watching a video.

Elder abuse is being recognised as a growing issue.

The new legislation currently being debated in NSW states that doctors must “complete approved training … (in) identifying and assessing risk factors for pressure or duress”.

But yesterday NSW Health refused to say what exactly the training would be.

Sydney medical negligence lawyer and academic Anna Walsh said more stringent safeguards must be built into any proposed laws, while geriatrician doctor John Obeid has raised concerns about elderly people being made to feel it’s their “duty to die”, based on overseas research.

“We don’t know what training doctors who are willing to perform euthanasia will go through,” Ms Walsh said. “Coercion is a bearing down of a person’s free will, and courts dealing with this usually take time to find out, to get witnesses.

“Under these laws the doctor may not know that patient at all, and there’s a limit to how that doctor can make that assessment.

“The practical reality is we don’t know how we can screen for this coercion and we need research and reflection.

“Transparency regarding this training is a vital aspect to considering the efficacy of this bill’s safeguards.”

Geriatric specialist, Dr John Obeid warns about protecting the elderly.

Dr Obeid said the peak body for geriatric doctors had raised serious concerns about how the euthanasia doctors will be able to assess the capacity of elderly people, which is an involved process.

“My big concern is the weak provisions in this bill will open the door to coercion. If capacity is impaired, someone is more able to be coerced,” he said.

“You only have to look at the setting of wills among older people – how many times I’ve had to appear in court when someone’s been coerced to change their will, it happens so often.”

The Australian Care Alliance has also flagged fears relating to elder abuse and financial motives.

“Elder abuse, including from adult children with ‘inheritance impatience’ is a growing problem in Australia,” secretary Dr Adrian Dabscheck said.

“This makes legalising assisting suicide unsafe for the elderly.”

NSW government agencies have reported 701 calls between July and September this year relating to elder abuse.

The dashboard of the NSW Ageing Disability Commission shows that between July and the end of September this year, they received 701 reports about possible abuse of older people on their hotline.

Some of the calls came from care workers, some from relatives, and some from the elderly victim themselves. Half of the reports were concerned about the role of senior’s adult children.

Relatives were the subjects of allegations in 60 per cent of reports, the dashboard states.

“The most commonly reported types of alleged abuse in relation to older people in July — September 2021 were psychological abuse and financial abuse.”

Sydney’s property market has skyrocketed, adding to fears about ‘inheritance impatience’.

Catholic Health Australia also raised fears over protecting the elderly.

“The Bill’s so-called ‘safeguards’ are a mirage – they offer little to no protection for those most vulnerable in our society,” spokeswoman Nicole Clements said.
The annual National Seniors Social Survey found support for the euthanasia laws, but says the biggest concern nominated by its members was “individuals being coerced into a decision”.

Originally published as NSW Voluntary Assisted Dying laws prompt concerns about doctor training