Assisted dying debate to evoke difficult conversations, hospice says

The Manx hospice's chief executive John Knight said the body had a neutral stance on the issue

The Isle of Man's main palliative care provider has said proposed assisted dying laws may provoke "difficult conversations" in the future.

Hospice Isle of Man said it remained neutral on the issue after a private members bill passed its second reading in the House of Keys.

The organisation provides end of life care and supports patients' families.

Chief executive John Knight said should the law change, it would not "stand in the way" if a patient chose that path.

Mr Knight said he echoed the sentiment of the official response by the organisation in Scotland to legislation brought forward there, which said if people had the right to an assisted death they should also have the right to palliative care, which was not available to everyone in the UK.

'Caring role'

He said in 2022 the organisation played a direct caring role in 417 of the deaths across the island at the hospice, in care homes and in the community, where there were an average of 900 deaths a year.

He said of the hospice's annual spend of more than £5.5m, about £1.2m is received from Manx Care each year with the remainder funded through voluntary income, and he was focussed on keeping the organisation on the island "sustainable".

The debate over the proposed new laws would "be very much a conversation" among his peers at the hospice national conference in Liverpool, which takes place between 6 and 8 November, he added.

Members of the House of Keys will be asked to support having the clauses of the Assisted Dying Bill 2023 examined by a committee of five MHKs at Tuesday's sitting.

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