End of Life Choice Act
Te Omanga Hospice provides compassionate, person-centred, and non-judgemental care to all-of our patients.
Since the End of Life Choice Act came into law in 2021, people who experience unbearable suffering from a terminal illness have been able to legally request medical assistance to end their lives.
As an organisation we have decided not to provide assisted dying services. If a patient in our care requests assisted dying, we will support them to contact their GP or the SCENZ Group, the service provider set up by the NZ Government to deliver Assisted Dying.
Patients still have full access to Te Omanga Hospice’s services if they choose to be referred to the SCENZ group. It means patients wanting both palliative care and assisted dying can receive both. It also means we can reassure those who choose to die naturally that assisted dying will not occur in our inpatient unit.
Our palliative care support for patients, family and whānau will continue, whatever their choice regarding assisted dying, wherever they are – in their home, our Inpatient Unit or Residential Care.
Te Omanga Hospice wants people to continue to be well supported at the end of life to ensure real choice.
