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Introducing assisted dying in England and Wales would divert NHS resources that could be used on other operations or services, the health secretary has warned.
Wes Streeting said on Wednesday he had commissioned a review of the costs of providing assisted dying services on the NHS, as MPs prepare to vote later this month on whether to introduce the controversial practice that would allow terminally ill people to end their lives early.
Streeting, who has said he will vote against the measure, warned on Wednesday that introducing it would involve “choices and trade-offs”.
“Any new service comes at the expense of other competing pressures and priorities,” he said.
The cabinet minister also said he fears the measure would lead to a “chilling slippery slope” that could see patients choose to end their lives in order to save money.
Kim Leadbeater, a Labour backbencher, this week published a private members’ bill that sets out proposals to grant adults who are terminally ill and with six months or less to live the right to die early. MPs will vote on the bill on November 29.
The government has promised a free vote, while Sir Keir Starmer this week said he wanted to study the details of the bill — including its safeguards — before deciding whether to back the measure.
How such a law would be implemented across England and Wales poses substantial questions for the NHS, which already has long waiting lists for procedures.
The British Medical Association, the largest union representing British doctors, has called for assisted dying services to be organised and funded separately from normal NHS care.
On Wednesday, Streeting said: “Now that we’ve seen the bill published, I’ve asked my department to look at the costs that would be associated with providing a new service to enable assisted dying to go forward.” He added that “work is now under way, so I can’t give you a precise figure today”.
Critics and palliative care professionals have warned that any law change on assisted dying could be a “slippery slope” to fewer restrictions and increase pressure on the sick to end their lives, amid fears they had become a financial burden.
Asked about the possibility of assisted dying laws saving the NHS money, if the law permitted patients to end their lives sooner, Streeting said: “You do touch on the slippery slope argument, which is the potential for cost savings if people choose to opt for assisted dying rather than stay in the care of the care providers or the NHS.”
He added: “I think that is a chilling slippery slope argument, and I would hate for people to opt for assisted dying because they think they’re saving someone somewhere money, whether that’s relatives or the NHS.”
