Latest news with #TerminallyIllAdults(
Evening Standard
3 days ago
- Health
- Evening Standard
Joanna Lumley ‘wouldn't mind' assisted dying if she got to a ‘miserable' state
The 79-year-old said she supported the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which was backed by MPs in the Commons last month, that would allow terminally ill adults with fewer than six months to live to apply for an assisted death.
Spectator
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Spectator
Portrait of the week: Welfare rebellions, Glastonbury chants and Lucy Letby arrests
Home Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, in the face of a rebellion by 120 backbenchers over the welfare bill, undertook to limit to new claimants restrictions on personal independence payments (Pip). Modelling by the Department for Work and Pensions predicted that 150,000 people might be pushed into 'relative poverty' by the revised welfare cuts, compared with 250,000 before. Still fearing defeat, the government made more last-minute concessions, postponing changes to Pip rules until after a review by Sir Stephen Timms, the disability minister. The government then won the second reading by 335 to 260, with 49 Labour MPs voting against. It was not clear that the eviscerated bill would reduce spending. At a cabinet meeting, Sir Keir told ministers to stop briefing against his chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney. At Glastonbury, the band Bob Vylan led chants of 'Death, death to the IDF' (the Israel Defence Forces) and these were broadcast by the BBC. Avon and Somerset Police said it was investigating whether comments by Bob Vylan or Kneecap amounted to a criminal offence. Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, drew a curious parallel: 'If I think about the war in Ukraine, no doubt I want Ukraine to win but that doesn't mean I'm going to be cheering on the deaths of Russians.' Sandy Gall, the newsreader and foreign correspondent who reported on the mujahideen's fight against the Russians in Afghanistan, died aged 97. Chris Coghlan, the Liberal Democrat MP, was told by his Catholic parish priest that he would not be admitted to Communion as a consequence of voting for the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. Andrew John announced his retirement as Archbishop of Wales after reports mentioned 'a culture in which sexual boundaries seemed blurred' at the cathedral, though there is no suggestion the archbishop had misbehaved. On suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter, police arrested three former senior staff at the hospital where the nurse Lucy Letby worked before being convicted of murdering seven babies. The TSB's Spanish owner Sabadell announced it was selling the bank to Santander. The cost of a 'bat mitigation structure' on the HS2 railway line was estimated to have risen to £125 million. The royal train is to be taken out of service to save money. Wes Streeting announced a plan to chivvy supermarkets into selling more 'healthy' food. Problems at an electrical substation that caused a fire which closed Heathrow airport were detected seven years ago and were known to the National Grid but not mended, an investigation found. In the seven days to 30 June, 1,582 migrants crossed the Channel in small boats, bringing to 19,982 the number for the first half of 2025, 48 per cent more than a year earlier. Temperatures reached 34.7˚C at St James's Park, London. Abroad The Nato summit reaffirmed its guarantee of collective defence but did not directly mention Ukraine. Ukrainian drones attacked a factory in the Russian city of Izhevsk, around 600 miles from the border. America halted some weapons shipments to Ukraine. The US Supreme Court allowed President Donald Trump's executive order to end birthright citizenship to go into effect in a month's time; the court also limited the power of federal judges in lower courts to issue nationwide injunctions. Mr Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill' passed in the Senate thanks to Vice-President J.D. Vance's tie-breaking vote. Danish women were entered into a lottery for national service. Scores of Norwegians were erroneously told they had won millions in the Eurojackpot. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz published a report quoting unnamed IDF soldiers who said they were ordered to shoot at unarmed civilians near aid distribution sites, to disperse them; the IDF denied that. The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said more than 500 Palestinians had been killed on their way to get aid since the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation took over aid distribution in late May. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, accused Haaretz of publishing a 'blood libel'. Israel ordered people to evacuate parts of northern Gaza ahead of increased military action. Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo signed a peace agreement in Washington to end decades of conflict. Japan executed Takahiro Shiraishi, who had murdered nine people in his flat after contacting suicidal women on Twitter. At least 34 people were killed in an explosion at a pharmaceuticals factory in the southern Indian state of Telangana. The Dalai Lama confirmed that he would have a successor after his death. CSH
Glasgow Times
26-06-2025
- Health
- Glasgow Times
PM ‘confident' on assisted dying law despite Streeting's ‘no budget' warning
The Prime Minister insisted the correct preparation has been done to ensure the Bill is 'workable in all its aspects'. Sir Keir supported the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill in a historic vote on Friday which saw the proposed legislation clear the Commons. The Government is neutral on the topic and MPs had a free vote, meaning they made their own decisions rather than following party lines. Mr Streeting was one of the most senior Government ministers to vote against the Bill, alongside Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood and Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner. At the weekend, Mr Streeting warned that legalising assisted dying would take 'time and money' away from other parts of the health service. He said better end-of-life care was needed to prevent terminally ill people feeling they had no alternative but to end their own life. Health Secretary Wes Streeting voted against the assisted dying Bill (Lucy North/PA) Writing on his Facebook page, Mr Streeting said: 'Even with the savings that might come from assisted dying if people take up the service – and it feels uncomfortable talking about savings in this context to be honest – setting up this service will also take time and money that is in short supply. 'There isn't a budget for this. Politics is about prioritising. It is a daily series of choices and trade-offs. I fear we've made the wrong one.' Sir Keir was asked by reporters if the will of Parliament must be implemented and a budget found for assisted dying. He said: 'It is my responsibility to make sure the Bill is workable, and that means workable in all its aspects. 'I'm confident we've done that preparation.' The Bill cleared the Commons on Friday, but with a narrower majority of 23 votes, compared with a majority of 55 in November. It will next come before the House of Lords for further debate and votes. Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, who steered the Bill through the Commons, has said she hopes peers will not try to derail the legislation, which could run out of parliamentary time if it is held up in the Lords. Speaking in the aftermath of the Commons vote, she said: 'I would be upset to think that anybody was playing games with such an important and such an emotional issue.' The proposed legislation would allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales, with fewer than six months to live, to apply for an assisted death, subject to approval by two doctors and a panel featuring a social worker, senior legal figure and psychiatrist.
South Wales Argus
25-06-2025
- Health
- South Wales Argus
PM ‘confident' on assisted dying law despite Streeting's ‘no budget' warning
The Prime Minister insisted the correct preparation has been done to ensure the Bill is 'workable in all its aspects'. Sir Keir supported the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill in a historic vote on Friday which saw the proposed legislation clear the Commons. The Government is neutral on the topic and MPs had a free vote, meaning they made their own decisions rather than following party lines. Mr Streeting was one of the most senior Government ministers to vote against the Bill, alongside Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood and Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner. At the weekend, Mr Streeting warned that legalising assisted dying would take 'time and money' away from other parts of the health service. He said better end-of-life care was needed to prevent terminally ill people feeling they had no alternative but to end their own life. Health Secretary Wes Streeting voted against the assisted dying Bill (Lucy North/PA) Writing on his Facebook page, Mr Streeting said: 'Even with the savings that might come from assisted dying if people take up the service – and it feels uncomfortable talking about savings in this context to be honest – setting up this service will also take time and money that is in short supply. 'There isn't a budget for this. Politics is about prioritising. It is a daily series of choices and trade-offs. I fear we've made the wrong one.' Sir Keir was asked by reporters if the will of Parliament must be implemented and a budget found for assisted dying. He said: 'It is my responsibility to make sure the Bill is workable, and that means workable in all its aspects. 'I'm confident we've done that preparation.' The Bill cleared the Commons on Friday, but with a narrower majority of 23 votes, compared with a majority of 55 in November. It will next come before the House of Lords for further debate and votes. Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, who steered the Bill through the Commons, has said she hopes peers will not try to derail the legislation, which could run out of parliamentary time if it is held up in the Lords. Speaking in the aftermath of the Commons vote, she said: 'I would be upset to think that anybody was playing games with such an important and such an emotional issue.' The proposed legislation would allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales, with fewer than six months to live, to apply for an assisted death, subject to approval by two doctors and a panel featuring a social worker, senior legal figure and psychiatrist.
Rhyl Journal
23-06-2025
- Health
- Rhyl Journal
Assisted dying: BMA says patients should meet end-of-life care doctor first
A motion passed by delegates at the British Medical Association's annual representative meeting (ARM) in Liverpool on Monday proposed a number of changes to the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. The proposed legislation for assisted dying cleared the Commons with a majority of 23 votes on Friday and will move to the House of Lords for further debate. As it stands, the Bill would allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales, with fewer than six months to live, to apply for an assisted death, subject to approval by two doctors and a panel featuring a social worker, senior legal figure and psychiatrist. British Medical Association (BMA) members have now called for patients to also have an in-person review with an independent palliative care doctor at the very start of the process. Speaking at the union's meeting, Dr Samuel Parker said: 'To ensure patient care needs have been met, and to help detect coercion, any patient requesting assisted dying should be encouraged to attend face-to-face reviews by an independent specialist palliative care doctor before the assisted dying pathway begins. 'This can also ensure whether the patient has received the best quality outcomes prior to preventing their assisted dying.' Dr Sarah Foot added: 'Choice is only a choice if it is an informed choice… this is about making sure that patients know their options, that have had access to palliative care. 'What is uncomfortable is patients choosing to die when they haven't had access to palliative care and don't know what's available to them. 'Our united voice will help influence this Bill in the House of Lords later this year, be proud and proactive and stand up for some of our most vulnerable patients. 'Those who are dying are physically and emotionally dependent on us in society to help safeguard them. They need to be safe and supported.' Dr Parker warned that palliative care in the UK is under-resourced, 'with few specialists, a post-Covid lottery and a shortage of funding'. He said patients deserve rapid access to high-quality care, adding that 'safety and patient welfare are essential'. Dr Foot said: 'Hospices and palliative care does not have enough funding. We cannot live in a society were we fully fund assisted dying, but we don't fully fund hospice and palliative care.' Last week, the Health Secretary – who was one of the most senior opponents of the legislation – warned that legalising assisted dying would take 'time and money' away from other parts of the NHS. Writing on his Facebook page, Wes Streeting said he could not ignore the concerns 'about the risks that come with this Bill' raised by the Royal College of Psychiatrists, the Royal College of Physicians, the Association for Palliative Medicine and charities representing under-privileged groups. The motion at the BMA ARM also affirmed the right of doctors to decline involvement in the service. An opt-out for all healthcare professionals is already built into the Bill. Speaking of the potential impact of assisted dying on the mental wellbeing of healthcare professionals, Dr Parker called on the BMA to ensure there are 'no subtle pressures' on doctors to participate, and 'no risk of professional sanction or discrimination'. Dr Andrew Green, chairman of the BMA's medical ethics committee, said: 'While the BMA is neutral on the issue of assisted dying – that is whether the law should change or not – we have been engaging with legislation to ensure doctors are represented on a number of key issues. 'This motion reaffirms, and strengthens, a number of the BMA's existing positions, including the right for doctors to decline to participate for any reason should the law change, and the need for any assisted dying service to be funded through new money and not at the expense of other parts of health and social care. 'We have been clear that any future assisted dying provision should be offered via a separate service that doctors must opt in to, and not part of any doctor's existing regular work. This service must come with additional funding, alongside further investment in palliative care, which we know has for too long been under-resourced, leading to huge variations in availability across the country. 'In discussions around Kim Leadbeater's Bill in England and Wales, which has now passed its final stages in the Commons, we have strongly opposed moves to ban doctors from raising the subject of assisted dying with patients, but have been clear that this must be part of a discussion around all options available. 'This motion expands on this, ensuring that patients who may be considering assisted dying are able to access information about all possible treatment and routes available to them.' Meanwhile, research has suggested that almost half (47%) of UK adults surveyed are worried they or their loved ones will have a painful or undignified death. The survey, carried out by Focaldata for King's College London (KCL), found 44% feel worried about the quality of palliative and end-of-life care in the UK, although 46% said they feel confident services will be available when they or loved ones need them. Meanwhile, the polling found 61% of the 2,106 adults asked in March were supportive of the assisted dying Bill which is currently being considered by Parliament for England and Wales. KCL is launching The Impact Centre for Palliative and End-of-Life Care in autumn, a privately-run centre aiming to improve palliative care in the UK, and establish a framework for better care which it said could be applied around the world. The centre, funded by the Kirby Laing Foundation, will be the first of its kind in the UK and will work to 'create long term, systemic change in the delivery of care for dying people'. Centre lead Professor Katherine Sleeman, said: 'Although a wealth of evidence has now been generated on ways to improve experiences and outcomes for people approaching the end of life, too often this evidence is not used to improve care, meaning dying people suffer and those close to them are left to pick up the pieces. 'By closing the gap between evidence and practice, the Impact Centre for Palliative and End-of-Life Care will make a profound and lasting difference for people with life-limiting illnesses and their loved ones, now and in the future.'
