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Please note that the current report reflects a summary of individuals’ interactions with the Assisted Dying Service within the three-month period 1 January 2023 to 31 March 2023. Accordingly, medical assessments and outcomes may refer to applications initiated in a prior quarter. 

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Assisted dying service activities this quarter


Overview of assisted dying applications

Between 1 January 2023 and 31 March 2023, the service received 211 applications for assisted dying. There also remained 36 applications open and in progress that had been initiated before this quarterly reporting period.

Attending medical practitioners (AMPs) completed 204 assessments, independent medical practitioners (IMPs) completed 155 assessments, and 142 applications were confirmed as eligible.

Medical practitioners facilitated 81 assisted deaths during this quarter and, of the applications reviewed during this period, 89 were still in progress as at 31 March 2023.

During this quarter, 80 applications did not proceed to an assisted death due to:

  • the application being found to not comply with the Act
  • the applicant withdrawing their application
  • the applicant being found non-eligible or not competent to give consent at, or following, assessment
  • the applicant dying as a result of underlying conditions.

Of the 211 applications received during this quarter:

  • 79.6% were NZ European/Pākehā
  • 2.4% were Māori
  • 48.8% were female/wāhine
  • 78.7% were aged 65 years or older
  • 76.8% were receiving palliative care at the time of the application
  • 66.8% had a diagnosis of cancer.

Table 1: Demographics of people that have applied for assisted dying services:

 

Demographic Summary: New Applications (N=211) 

01 January 2023 - 31 March 2023

Number of people3

% of applications

Ethnic group1

Māori

5

2.4%

0.9%

79.6%

3.8%

13.7%

Pacifica

2

NZ European/Pākehā

168

Asian

8

Other

29

Sex

Female/Wāhine

103

48.8%

Male/Tāne

108

51.2%

Gender diverse

0

0.0%

Age Group

18-44 years

2

0.9%

45-64 years

43

20.4%

65-84 years

124

58.8%

85+ years

42

19.9%

Diagnosis2

Cancer

141

66.8%

Neurological condition

28

13.3%

Chronic Respiratory Disease

10

4.7%

Cardio-vascular condition

14

6.6%

Other organ failure

6

2.8%

Other diagnosis

10

4.7%

Not known4

29

13.7%

Receiving palliative care at time of application?

Yes

162

76.8%

No

48

22.7%

Not stated

1

0.5%

Reported a disability at time of application?

Yes

38

18.0%

No

170

80.6%

Not stated

3

1.4%

 

Notes:

  1. Total ethnicity has been used. This means that individuals reporting more than one ethnicity are included within each category to which they identify.
  2. Total diagnosis has been used. This means that individuals presenting with multiple diagnoses are included within each applicable diagnostic category.
  3. Repeat applications are included as unique instances. This means, in cases where an individual submits multiple applications during this period, their information is recorded in the demographic data each time.
  4. ‘Diagnosis not known’ includes individuals who have applied but have not yet completed their first assessment with their AMP as well as those that withdrew, died before this assessment was completed, or were ineligible due to not having a terminal illness.

Assisted deaths by location

Between 1 January 2023 and 31 March 2023, 81 people had an assisted death. Assisted deaths can take place at the person’s home or in the community. The summary by location is:

  • 65 (or 80.3%) at the person’s home or another private property
  • 8 (or 9.8%) in a public hospital
  • 5 (or 6.2%) in an aged care facility
  • 3 (or 3.7%) in a hospice facility.

SCENZ Group practitioner lists 

The Support and Consultation for End of Life in New Zealand group (SCENZ) is responsible for maintaining the list of medical practitioners and psychiatrists involved in providing assisted dying services.

Medical practitioners can be on the SCENZ list for more than one role, depending on their scope of practice (AMP, IMP, Psychiatrist).

As of 31 March 2023, 135 medical practitioners (including Doctors, and Psychiatrists) and 13 attending Nurse Practitioners (ANP) were on the SCENZ list. A growing number of health practitioners have chosen to provide services as an AMP for their own patients without registering to be included as a SCENZ member. A portion of these health practitioners have subsequently chosen to join the SCENZ group, and to make themselves available to additional patients.

Disclaimer

An earlier version of this quarterly report was published with a with a validation error. The report has since been corrected as of 13 November 2024 to remove duplicate applications.