Establishing the Assisted Dying Service

WQ.62/2026

WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES

BY DEPUTY L.M.C. DOUBLET OF ST. SAVIOUR

QUESTION SUBMITTED ON MONDAY 2nd MARCH 2026

ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON MONDAY 9th MARCH 2026

Question

“In relation to establishing the Assisted Dying Service in Jersey, will the Minister advise –

1. how the establishment of the Service will be phased, providing timelines and resources (including costs) required at each phase;
2. what professionals, other Ministers and Departments will be involved in establishing the Service;
3. the locations or settings in which the Service will operate;
4. whether the Assembly will be required to make any further decisions; and
5. what further consultation, if any, will be carried out, and if so, when, how and with whom?”

Answer

1. how the establishment of the Service will be phased, providing timelines and resources (including costs) required at each phase;

Costs for the establishment and ongoing delivery of the Service were agreed in the Government Budget 2026-2029, as set out in P65/2025, Section Six: Resources and financial implications.[1]

Now that the Assembly has adopted the law, work is being undertaken to confirm the timelines and processes associated with establishing the service. It must be noted that a number of elements are subject  to  external  variables,  for  example,  capacity  of  external  training  experts  to  develop mandatory training.

Further information will be provided to Scrutiny when available.

2. what professionals, other Ministers and Departments will be involved in establishing the Service;

Responsibility for establishing the Service rests with the Minister for Health and Social Services. Other Ministers and Departments may be involved in establishing the Service to a lesser extent, for example, the Social Security Minister with regards to outreach to people with disabilities. Non- ministerial departments will also be involved, for example; the Judicial Greffe with regard to appeals process.

The professionals involved will include, but will not be limited to:

• HR/people services

• Health education

• Strategic Planning and Project management

• Communications

• Clinical specialisms, as represented in the health and care professionals working group (e.g. palliative care, oncology, mental health, neurology etc.)

• HCJ  Heads  of  Service  as  members  of  the  Assisted  Dying  Delivery  and  Assurance Committee

• Clinical standards, regulation and inspection.

This will include professionals employed by Health Care Jersey and other on-island organisations (such as the Jersey Care Commission) as well as input from professionals from other jurisdictions, including those that have established assisted dying services.

3. the locations or settings in which the Service will operate;

Please refer to page 53 of the addendum to P65/2025, the response to Scrutiny Assisted Dying Review Panel Recommendations – ‘Section 3: Location of assisted deaths’.[2]

4. whether the Assembly will be required to make any further decisions; and As set out in P65/2025, prior to the service commencing, the Assembly must:

• determine  matters  related  to  secondary  legislation,  including  Regulations  related  to independent advocates; safe access zones; investigation of professionals; and civil remedies for employment detriments

• determine matters related the proposed End of Life Care law, as per P73/2025[3]

• bring the full law into force by Appointed Day Act.

5. what further consultation, if any, will be carried out, and if so, when, how and with whom?”

As the Deputy is aware, Article 79 of the Law requires the Delivery and Assurance Committee to consult with people with disabilities on matters related to the Law’s implementation (Art 79). This is in addition to the multiple other consultation requirements clearly set out on the face of the law. The timeframe for these consultations has yet to be determined but includes consultation with key stakeholders on the following matters:

• the appointment of the Delivery and Assurance Committee Chair and members (consult with Jersey Appointments Commission) (Art 55)

• the Delivery and Assurance Committee Terms of Reference (including consultation with the Jersey Care Commission, chair of the Advisory Board of Health and Care Jersey) (Art 56)

• Assisted dying Review Panel Termos of Reference (Art 94)

• Approval of drugs used for assisted deaths (including consultation with, for example, the Chief Pharmacist and appropriate regulatory agencies) (Art 59)

• General information on assisted dying, service standards and retention schedules (Art 62)

• All Operational and general guidance (Art 63 + 64)

• Assisted dying practitioner competencies (Art 65)

• Assisted dying training (Art 66)

Furthermore, I have committed to carrying out further consultation with health and care professionals regarding matters related to the waiver of the requirement for future capacity.

[1] Draft Assisted Dying (Jersey) Law 202-

[2] P-65-2025-Add-(2).pdf

[3] States Assembly | P.73/2025