Scope of practice for medical practitioners and healthcare workers
Learn more about the practitioner eligibility requirements and submit your application to become an authorised voluntary assisted dying practitioner.
The table below provides an overview of the scope of practice for healthcare workers in voluntary assisted dying.
Medical practitioner | Nurse practitioner | Registered nurse | Other registered health practitioners* | Other healthcare workers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Act as the coordinating practitioner (if eligible, verified, completed training) | |||||
Act as the consulting practitioner (if eligible, verified, completed training) | |||||
Act as the administering practitioner (if eligible, verified, completed training) | |||||
Initiate a conversation about VAD in the course of informing about all end of life options | |||||
Provide information about VAD to a person who has requested it | |||||
Accept referral to determine whether the person has an eligible diagnosis or prognosis | |||||
Accept referral to determine whether the person has decision-making capacity in relation to VAD | |||||
Accept referral to determine whether the person is acting voluntarily and without coercion | |||||
Continue to provide care to a person and their family, knowing they are accessing VAD |
Medical practitioners, nurse practitioners and registered nurses' roles
Only a medical practitioner or nurse practitioner can initiate a conversation about voluntary assisted dying. If any other healthcare worker initiates a conversation about voluntary assisted dying, they could be found in breach of the Act. A healthcare worker can provide general information at the person’s request, which must be a clear and unambiguous question. Learn more about responding to a person asking about voluntary assisted dying.
Medical practitioners
Medical practitioners who meet the eligibility requirements, have completed the mandatory training, and are endorsed as an authorised voluntary assisted dying practitioner can be involved in the process.
This includes being able to perform the roles of coordinating practitioner, consulting practitioner, and administering practitioner.
Medical practitioners can also be involved in assessing an aspect of a person’s eligibility for voluntary assisted dying after receiving a referral from a coordinating or consulting practitioner, if they have appropriate skills and training. They can accept a referral to determine whether the person:
- has a disease, illness or medical condition that is:
- advanced, progressive and will cause death
- expected to cause death within 12 months, and
- causing suffering that the person considers to be intolerable; and
- has decision-making capacity for voluntary assisted dying
- is acting voluntarily and without coercion.
Role | Functions | Who can act in this role |
|---|---|---|
Coordinating practitioner |
| Eligible medical practitioner who has successfully completed mandatory training and has been endorsed as an authorised voluntary assisted dying practitioner |
Consulting practitioner |
| Eligible medical practitioner who has successfully completed mandatory training and has been endorsed as an authorised voluntary assisted dying practitioner |
Administering practitioner |
| As a default, this will be the coordinating practitioner, but the role can be transferred to another eligible medical practitioner, nurse practitioner, or registered nurse who has successfully completed mandatory training and has been endorsed as an authorised voluntary assisted dying practitioner. |
Nurse practitioner and registered nurse roles
Nurse practitioners and registered nurses who meet eligibility requirements, undertake mandatory training, and are endorsed as an authorised voluntary assisted dying practitioner can participate as an administering practitioner, if this role is transferred to them by the coordinating practitioner. This means they can administer the voluntary assisted dying substance to a person who has chosen practitioner administration.
Nurse Practitioner | Registered Nurse | ||
|---|---|---|---|
Can | Cannot | Can | Cannot |
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Registered nurses and nurse practitioners can be involved in assessing a person’s eligibility for voluntary assisted dying after receiving a referral from a coordinating or consulting practitioner, if they have appropriate skills and training to determine the matter. They can accept a referral to determine whether the person:
- has a disease, illness or medical condition that is:
- advanced, progressive and will cause death
- expected to cause death within 12 months and
- causing suffering that the person considers to be intolerable; and
- has decision-making capacity for voluntary assisted dying
- is acting voluntarily and without coercion.
Roles for healthcare workers
Along with providing care and support to the person, healthcare workers can be involved in assessing a person’s eligibility to access voluntary assisted dying.
Reason for referral for determination | Who can receive and accept the referral | |
|---|---|---|
The coordinating and/or consulting practitioner must refer the matter to another suitably qualified person if they are unable to determine if a person: | Has a disease, illness, or medical condition that:
| Any registered health practitioner with appropriate skills and training to determine whether a person has an eligible disease or prognosis. It is recommended that a medical practitioner or nurse practitioner with a relevant scope of practice determines the disease or prognosis. |
Has decision-making capacity. | Any registered health practitioner with appropriate skills and training to determine whether a person has an eligible disease or prognosis or decision-making capacity. For example, a psychologist. | |
Is acting voluntarily and without coercion. | Any person with appropriate skills and training to determine whether a person is acting voluntarily and without coercion. For example, a social worker. |
Pharmacist roles
Only pharmacists working for the Queensland Voluntary Assisted Dying Pharmacy Service (QVAD-Pharmacy) will be authorised to supply voluntary assisted dying substances.
Paramedics and other first responder roles
In rare occurrences, first responders may be involved in a situation where a person is administering a voluntary assisted dying substance. First responders can provide palliative and comfort care to the person and can also provide support for the family.
However, first responders usually have a duty to administer life-sustaining or life-preserving medical treatment. This is not the case with voluntary assisted dying.
The Act provides protection from civil and criminal liability for registered health practitioners, ambulance officers (and volunteers), and students under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (Queensland) who, acting in good faith, don’t administer life-sustaining treatment where:
- the person doesn’t request it; and
- they believe on reasonable grounds that the person is dying after administration of the voluntary assisted dying substance (either self-administered or practitioner administered in accordance with the Act).
This means that a first responder who withholds life-sustaining treatment to a person they believe on reasonable grounds is dying after administration of the voluntary assisted dying substance is protected in accordance with the Act. This is on the basis that the patient has not directly requested life-sustaining treatment.
