Leadbeater praises MSPs’ assisted dying vote amid warning Bill is ‘inadequate’

Kim Leadbeater said she is “pleased” that the Scottish Parliament has backed the general principles for assisted dying in a vote as the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych) said it cannot back the Bill for England and Wales in its current form.

Ms Leadbeater, the MP behind the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, said there are injustices in the current ban on assisted dying, adding that MSPs had “listened to the voices of those with personal experience of those injustices”.

Holyrood voted by 70 votes to 56 in favour of the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill on Tuesday.

Leadbeater said: “I’m pleased that after a lengthy, constructive and compassionate debate, the Scottish Parliament has voted in principle in favour of changing the law to address the injustices in the current ban on assisted dying.

“MSPs listened to the voices of those with personal experience of those injustices and concluded that the status quo cannot be defended any longer.”

But ahead of Ms Leadbeater’s Bill returning to the Commons on Friday, the RCPsych said it could not support it in its current form, highlighting “serious concerns” about the safeguarding of people with mental illness.

The college said it has “unanswered questions” and warned of a shortage of consultant psychiatrists to meet the demands of the Bill.

Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur reacts after MSPs approved the general principles of legislation which could introduce assisted dying for terminally ill Scots (Andrew Milligan/PA). PA Media

Dr Lade Smith, president of the RCPsych, said: “After extensive engagement with our members, and with the expertise of our assisted dying/assisted suicide working group, the RCPsych has reached the conclusion that we are not confident in the Terminally Ill Adults Bill in its current form, and we therefore cannot support the Bill as it stands.

“It’s integral to a psychiatrist’s role to consider how people’s unmet needs affect their desire to live. The Bill, as proposed, does not honour this role, or require other clinicians involved in the process to consider whether someone’s decision to die might change with better support.

“We are urging MPs to look again at our concerns for this once-in-a-generation Bill and prevent inadequate assisted dying/assisted suicide proposals from becoming law.”

The college also said the physical effects of a mental disorder, such as anorexia or dementia, should not make a person eligible for assisted dying.

Dr Annabel Price, lead for Ms Leadbeater’s Bill at the RCPsych, said: “The college has spent decades focused on preventing people from dying by suicide.

“A significant part of our engagement on this Bill to date has been to point out that people with terminal physical illnesses are more likely to have depression.

“Terminal illness is a risk factor for suicide, and unmet needs can make a person’s life feel unbearable. But we know that if a person’s situation is improved or their symptoms treated, then their wish to end their life sooner often changes.

“The Bill does not specify whether assisted dying/assisted suicide is a treatment option – an ambiguity that has major implications in law.

“It is our view that these proposals should not be considered a treatment as assisted dying/assisted suicide does not aim to improve a person’s health. Furthermore, the Mental Capacity Act in England and Wales offers no framework for assessing such a decision.

“This Bill proposes that psychiatrists be involved through assessments of mental capacity as part of routine psychiatric practice and in a safeguarding role on a panel. But mental health services do not currently have the resource required to meet a new range of demands.

“If this Bill proceeds, any role a psychiatrist plays in an assisted dying/assisted suicide process should be consistent with the core duties of the profession, including determining whether someone’s wish to die can be remedied or treated.”

Meanwhile, research conducted by the BBC revealed a deep division on the issue amongst family doctors in England.

In a survey sent to 5,000 doctors, 1,000 responded to questions on assisted dying.

Of those, 500 were opposed to assisted dying laws, while around 400 were in favour.

Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chair of the Royal College of GPs, told the broadcaster the results showed doctors had “real concerns about the practical and legal implications of a change in the law on assisted dying”.

“These must be acknowledged and addressed, so that any legislation is watertight,” she said.