Assisted Dying Service Quarterly Report from 1 October to 31 December 2024

Between 1 October 2024 to 31 December 2024, the service received 251 applications for assisted dying.

There were also 133 applications active that had been initiated before this quarterly reporting period.

Attending medical practitioners (AMPs) completed 230 assessments and independent medical practitioners (IMPs) completed 188 assessments.

Psychiatrists also completed some assessments (numbers withheld due to low numbers) in this period.

In total, 148 applications were confirmed as eligible.

AMPs facilitated 128 assisted deaths during this quarter.

Of the applications reviewed during this period, 87 were still in progress as of 31 December 2024.

During this quarter, 89 applications did not proceed to an assisted death due to:

• the application being found to not comply with The End of Life Choice Act 2019
• the applicant withdrawing their application
• the applicant is found non-eligible or not competent to give consent at, or following, assessment
• the applicant dying due to underlying conditions.

Of the 251 applications received during this quarter:

• 77.1% were Pākehā
• 6.3% were Māori
• 44.6% were Female/ Wāhine; 55.4 % were Male/Tāne
• 75.7 % were aged 65 years or older
• 75.3 % were receiving palliative care at the time of the application
• 70.5 % had a diagnosis of cancer