Assisted dying bill: Two-thirds of GPNs ‘supportive’ but less sure on nurse involvement

Almost two-thirds of general practice nursing staff are supportive of the assisted dying bill, though less are sure on their involvement in providing care to support it, an exclusive survey has revealed.

Almost half of respondents (48%) believed general practice nurses (GPNs) or community nurses should be involved in broaching the possibility of assisted dying in palliative care patients, if the bill is passed – but only 38% suggested they would personally be prepared to be involved.

The findings come from a Nursing in Practice survey of 280 general practice nursing staff carried out last month and comes ahead of the next stage of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill which is scheduled for tomorrow in the House of Commons.

The bill would allow adults aged 18 and over, who are judged to have mental capacity, to request help from a doctor to end their own life if they are terminally ill and in the final six months of their life.

It is due to begin its report stage in the House of Commons on Friday, with amendments to the draft legislation being proposed, debated and voted on by MPs.

As part of our survey of general practice nursing staff, respondents were asked for their views on the bill and what health professionals they believe should be involved in this area of care.

Related Article: ‘Vital’ nurses involved in assisted dying education and training

Findings showed some 63% were supportive – with 29% suggesting they were ‘strongly supportive’ and 34% ‘fairly supportive’ of the potential legislation.

Meanwhile, 9% were ‘fairly against’ and 7% were ‘strongly against’ the bill.

Respondents were also asked whether practice or community nurses should be involved in broaching the possibility in palliative care patients, if assisted dying is introduced.

Almost half (48%) said practice or community nurses should be involved in assisted dying in a professional capacity, 37% suggested they should not.

However, when asked whether they would be prepared to be involved in assisted dying in a professional capacity, opinions seemed split – with 38% saying that they would and 35% suggesting they would not.

One enhanced level practice nurse said: ‘I would need far more assurance than I have at present. I do however believe in excellence in palliative care, and we need to get that right for every patient first.’

Other respondents expressed caution in the level of assisted dying care they would be able to engage with, with one nurse team lead describing how they would need ‘more details’ on how the legislation would work.

Some stressed the need for ‘appropriate education and training’, with one nurse respondent saying they would only engage with assisted dying care with ‘strict criteria’ and multidisciplinary team working.

An enhanced level practice nurse flagged how they would only be comfortable providing assisted dying care if hospice the hospice better funded to provide end of life care.

Nursing in Practice has heard from hospice providers warning more financial support is needed to meet growing demands and fund the hospice nurse workforce.

‘[I would provide assisted dying care] in a utopian world where patients have access to fully funded hospice care,’ they explained.

Related Article: The assisted dying bill: what do nurses need to know? 

For some respondents, assisted dying was an area that they wanted no involvement with.

‘I do not want any part of this, and I am happy to continue nursing patients to end of life with dignity and respect,’ one advanced nurse practitioner said.

The bill has so far also split opinion among MPs and healthcare professionals more widely. 

Labour MP and former district nurse Paulette Hamilton has consistently voted against the bill, saying she ‘does not trust’ that the legislation can be implemented ‘ethically and safely’.

Another Labour MP and former mental health nurse has also voted against the bill, Sojan Joseph, previously said the legislation includes too few safeguards, especially around capacity assessments.

However, former critical care nurse and now Labour MP for Sittingbourne and Sheppey, Kevin McKenna has consistently voted in favour of the bill, alongside key political figures including Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Last week Kim Leadbeater, the MP behind the bill, said she would be proposing to extend the ‘opt-out’ provisions in the bill for nursing staff and other healthcare workers based in settings where assisted dying could take place.

Related Article: Primary care and community nurses ‘treated as second class citizens’

Those responding to our survey were also asked for their views on the involvement of other healthcare professionals in assisted dying care, should it be introduced:

• More than three-quarters (77%) of respondents said GPs should be involved
• Nine in 10 (89%) said palliative care teams should be involved
• 22% said a ‘new health body’ should be involved
• And 20% said pharmacists should be involved

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill passed its second reading stage in November, and is now being considered by MPs in several committee sessions.

This survey was open between 31 March and 14 April 2025, collating responses using the SurveyMonkey tool. A total of 280 GP nursing staff from across the UK responded to these questions. The survey was advertised to our readers via our website and email newsletter, with a prize draw for a £200 voucher as an incentive to complete the survey. We asked for practice codes or practice names and postcodes, and asked them to confirm what role they held. We removed those with duplicate email addresses, and searched for duplicate IP addresses, removing obvious duplicate entries. The survey was unweighted, and we do not claim this to be scientific – only a snapshot of the GP nursing staff population.