Author Archives: A retired medical doctor

The civil service impact statement for the Assisted Dying Bill could be very inaccurate

By A retired medical doctor | Wed 18th June 2025 - 5:31 pm

Editor’s note: This article contains details of terminal medical procedures which some readers may find upsetting.

The Civil Service has done an ‘impact assessment’ for what the NHS and hospice sector will look like if Kim Leadbeater’s assisted dying (AD) Bill becomes law.

It’s chosen a sample of a  few ‘comparator’ US jurisdictions  and New Zealand to show how many cases of AD there are (expressed as percentage  of total deaths). The population of the sample is equivalent to England and Wales.

The projection estimates a few hundred AD cases here a year initially, rising annually. However, New Zealand, in its first year of AD, recorded an AD rate six times the rate that was recorded in the first year in  California – equivalent to 4,000 England/Wales deaths if we scale up for population size. The maximum Civil Service estimate for the first year in England and Wales is 1,600 deaths. So what has gone wrong ?

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Tagged | 13 Comments
Advert

Recent Comments

  • Peter Hirst
    We are where we are. Wales like the rest of the UK would benefit from rejoining the eu. While Wales might have benefitted from devolution, Wales also depends on...
  • Peter Hirst
    I like the emphasis on involving the local party(ies). Ideally, they should institute the process. I note the new power of Regional Candidates Chairs to start t...
  • David Evans
    I don't share Tom's certainty when he says "The good news is that unless Trump manages to change the constitution, he is leaving the White House in 3 and a half...
  • Peter Hirst
    Logical argument has its moments. We live in a changing world with more freedom to express your unique take. A modern political party has to accept this. What i...
  • Brenda Will
    @Paul Barker I’m afraid Starmer’s deal with the French - to swop up to 50 per month of those crossing to the UK on small boats for a different 50 asylum se...