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Health and disability service providers may care for and support people who choose to access assisted dying services. All health and disability service providers should have policies and procedures in place to support their staff so that they can respond appropriately if a person in the service provider’s care asks for information about assisted dying or to access assisted dying services. Policies or procedures may vary between service providers based on their level of involvement in assisted dying services.

Preparing for the delivery of assisted dying services

Health service providers are encouraged to prepare for situations where people may request information about or access to assisted dying.

Health service providers represent the range of providers in the public health system, such as district health boards, primary care providers, aged residential care, disability support services. The level of preparation needed will vary depending on the level of participation the health service provider is likely to have in providing assisted dying services.

There are some actions that all health service providers are encouraged to take, whether or not they intend to provide assisted dying services. These include:

  • ensuring staff are prepared and supported for situations when a patient raises assisted dying with them
  • considering how the provider can respond respectfully and appropriately to a person requesting this option, including ensuring continuity of care is possible
  • considering what care pathways may look like for patients who request assisted dying including the potential need to move from one pathway to another.

The following information sheet and checklist are for all health and disability service providers to support readiness: 

Policy guidance for assisted dying services

Assisted dying policy guidance has been developed for health service providers and district health boards to support policies that may be activated when someone in their care requests assisted dying from 7 November 2021. 

Providers will be able to tailor this policy guidance to their own context and level of involvement in providing assisted dying services.

The following policy guidance is for community and primary care health and disability service providers: 

The following policy guidance is for district health boards:

Assisted dying services are most likely to be provided in a person’s home or other community settings, rather than in hospital settings. But public hospitals are required if the hospital is the most appropriate place for the assisted death to happen.

In such cases hospitals are not obligated to provide staff the assisted dying service.

Appropriately qualified the assisted dying service if they wish to and as agreed as part of their employer, as part of their role. In these situations, the practitioner and hospital cannot receive additional funding or claim under the Assisted Dying Service Notice 2021.

Learning and resources 


Guidance and training resources about assisted dying for health professionals is available on Ko Awatea LEARN or heatlhLearn.

Ko Awatea LEARN (external link) 
healthLearn (external link)

This includes three main e-learning modules for all healthcare staff that aim to support and prepare health service provider’s staff for situations where a person they care for asks about, or chooses to access, assisted dying. 

The modules can be completed individually or as a group learning tool, such as in a team meeting. The modules are also relevant to practitioners who choose not to be involved in assisted dying, including for reasons of conscientious objection so they can respond appropriately if asked about the service.

Health and disability service providers may also want to consider how they support non-clinical and/or non-registered staff with having an appropriate understanding of the assisted dying service. This includes receptionists, cleaners, support workers, carers or health care assistants who may interact with a person requesting or accessing this service.

The presentations that follow support managers or team leaders to teach non-clinical and/or non-regulated staff about assisted dying. It is strongly recommended that the person conducting this session completes both presentation modules and familiarise themselves with the available training resources.

Assisted dying is a sensitive topic and may be difficult for some people. Please talk to your employer if you need support, including access to the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP).

Alternatively, you can speak with a trained counselor by calling or texting 1734 for free anytime, 24/7.