Voluntary Assisted Dying

Statement By Buckland Aged Care Services – Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD)

The Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2022 (VAD Act) requires organisations that conduct residential aged care facilities to publicly disclose their position on the provision at their facility of Voluntary Assisted Dying services (VAD services).

In response to the requirement the Directors of Buckland Aged Care Services (BACS) have unanimously resolved that BACS will not provide or participate in the provision of VAD services.

BAC is committed to its mission to provide respectful and dignified care and services that acknowledge the value of each individual. However, we recognise that the topic of Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) raises difficult and complex ethical issues.

We recognise our responsibilities under the VAD Act and we will not hinder the provision of information and services to any residents who seek guidance within the legal framework established for the provision of those services.

Everyone deserves to die with dignity. However, it is the fact that many people don’t get to choose where and how they live during the last days or months of their lives. We are therefore committed to ensuring that our residents are supported with dignity and compassion throughout their life journey, whether in active life or at the end of life. We believe that the provision of quality palliative care, to all our residents who seek or require that care, is an essential element in our commitment.

Palliative care affirms life and accepts dying as a natural process, with the intention that appropriate care will neither hasten death nor unnecessarily postpone death. Palliative care improves the quality of life of patients facing the challenges presented by life-threatening illness, through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification and appropriate assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, whether physical, psychosocial or spiritual.

BACS is committed to walking with our residents at the end of life by providing the quality palliative care and pastoral and support services that our residents require and have every right to expect.

Buckland Aged Care Services