Voluntary assisted dying information for medical practitioners

Key messages

Only eligible medical practitioners who have completed training can assess a person’s eligibility for voluntary assisted dying and prescribe the voluntary assisted dying substance.
Medical practitioners cannot initiate conversations about voluntary assisted dying
Medical practitioners who receive a first request for access to voluntary assisted dying are required by the legislation to accept or reject their patient's request.

Eligible medical practitioners can provide voluntary assisted dying

A medical practitioner must hold a fellowship with an Australian specialist medical college or be a vocationally registered general practitioner to be eligible to provide voluntary assisted dying.

Medical practitioners who want to provide voluntary assisted dying must complete voluntary assisted dying training before conducting an assessment.

Medical practitioner roles in voluntary assisted dying

Coordinating medical practitioner

A co-ordinating medical practitioner is the medical practitioner who receives and accepts the patient's first request for voluntary assisted dying.

The co-ordinating medical practitioner:

conducts the first assessment to determine whether the patient meets the eligibility criteria.
refers the patient to the consulting medical practitioner, if the patient meets the eligibility criteria.

The co-ordinating medical practitioner is responsible for:

ensuring all forms are completed and provided to the Voluntary Assisted Dying Review Board through the Voluntary Assisted Dying Board portal.
applying for a permit and prescribing the voluntary assisted dying substance.

The coordinating medical practitioner administers the substance if practitioner administration is required.

Consulting medical practitioner

A consulting medical practitioner receives and accepts a referral from the co-ordinating medical practitioner.

The consulting medical practitioner is responsible for:

conducting a consulting assessment and independently determining whether the person meets the eligibility criteria.
reporting their assessment to the Voluntary Assisted Dying Review Board through the voluntary assisted dying portal.

Other medical practitioners

Other medical practitioners may be asked to conduct additional assessments if there is uncertainty about whether the person meets one of the eligibility criteria. A medical practitioner does not need to complete the voluntary assisted dying training or have a voluntary assisted dying portal account to conduct these assessments.

Medical practitioners who choose not to provide voluntary assisted dying, or who aren't yet eligible to provide voluntary assisted dying, do not have a formal role in providing voluntary assisted dying services. They can provide information or talk about voluntary assisted dying if a patient asks about it.

These medical practitioners are expected to remain involved in providing usual care and support to their patients, regardless of whether the patient is accessing voluntary assisted dying.

Medical practitioners who want to provide voluntary assisted dying services

Medical practitioners need to complete the following steps before providing voluntary assisted dying as either a coordinating or consulting medical practitioner.

Medical practitioners must complete the voluntary assisted dying training before conducting voluntary assisted dying assessments.
The voluntary assisted dying training provides a detailed overview of Victoria’s voluntary assisted dying legal framework. It is designed to inform th medical practitioners of their obligations, role and responsibilities so they can provide voluntary assisted dying services which comply with Voluntary Assisted Dying Act (2017).
The 9-module training is available online and takes between 6-8 hours. Medical practitioners can do the training at any time or participate in a group training day offered by the Statewide Care Navigator Service throughout the year.
Medical practitioners can access voluntary assisted dying training or find group training day information at the Victorian voluntary assisted dying learning hub
Verification of medical practitioners to access training can take up to 2 business days.
- A medical practitioner can register for the voluntary assisted dying portal after completing the voluntary assisted dying training.
- Coordinating and consulting medical practitioners submit forms and apply for permits to prescribe the voluntary assisted dying substance through the voluntary assisted dying portal.
- The voluntary assisted dying Statewide Care Navigator Service provides information and support to health practitioners and the community.
- Medical practitioners are encouraged to contact the care navigators to ensure they are aware of the support available to them in their area.
For more information and contact details, see Statewide Care Navigator Service

These steps can be completed upon receiving a first request from a patient, or a referral for a consulting assessment. Alternatively, completing them before receiving a request will mean medical practitioners are ready to respond when a patient asks about voluntary assisted dying.

Detailed information about the voluntary assisted dying process is available in Guidance for health practitioners or the Quick reference guide for health practitioners.

Medical practitioners must not suggest or initiate conversations about voluntary assisted dying

Medical practitioners cannot initiate a conversation about or suggest voluntary assisted dying to person. A person must raise voluntary assisted dying themselves.

If a person raises voluntary assisted dying with a medical practitioner, the medical practitioner may provide the person with information or discuss voluntary assisted dying with them.

Initial discussion - Voluntary Assisted Dying

View transcript

Medical practitioners are required to respond to a first request

When a person makes a clear and unambiguous request for voluntary assisted dying (a first request) a medical practitioner must decide if they are prepared and qualified to accept the request and provide in voluntary assisted dying as the person’s coordinating medical practitioner.

The legislation allows a medical practitioner up to seven days from the date they received a first request to tell the person their decision.

If a medical practitioner refuses a person’s request for voluntary assisted dying, they should specify why. The legislation provides three reasons why a medical practitioner might refuse to accept a person's request:

the medical practitioner has a conscientious objection to voluntary assisted dying
the medical practitioner will not be available to perform the duties of coordinating medical practitioner
the medical practitioner is not eligible under the legislation to provide voluntary assisted dying services.

Refusing a first request

A medical practitioner who refuses a person's request for voluntary assisted dying is not required to refer the person to someone who will assist them, but they should not obstruct or unnecessarily delay the person's access to treatment.

It is best practice to refer the person seeking assistance to the Statewide Care Navigator Service for information and access to a medical practitioner or a health service to assist them accessing voluntary assisted dying. See Statewide Care Navigator Service for contact details.

There is detailed information on responding to a first request and the voluntary assisted dying process in the Guidance for health practitioners.

Conscientious objection

A medical practitioner who conscientiously objects to voluntary assisted dying is not obliged to provide information about voluntary assisted dying or to refer the person to someone who will assist them.

The medical practitioner should inform the person as soon as possible that they will not assist them.

In line with professional standards, a medical practitioner who conscientiously objects to voluntary assisted dying should not obstruct or unnecessarily delay a patient's access to information or referral for voluntary assisted dying services.

Best practice models advise referring people onto the Statewide Care Navigator Service for information and assistance.

Updated 9 May 2024