Health, Social Care and Sport Committee 11 November 2025
I welcome Liam McArthur’s offer to engage in developing amendments. I restate that I am undecided about my position at stage 3. In considering all amendments, I will be seeking to make the bill the best piece of legislation that it can be.
I will speak to amendments 155 and 196. In relation to amendment 196, the concern is that the care of patients who seek assisted dying will extend beyond the authorised health professional roles that the bill specifies. All healthcare professionals who provide care to a patient who seeks assisted dying should have adequate training. Amendment 196 recognises that the relationship with healthcare professionals who look after patients may alter when a patient decides that they will take the route of assisted dying. We have not considered that, which is why I lodged the amendment. It provides for the Scottish Government to bring forward training on the legislation for healthcare professionals. As I said, it is key that those who care for people towards the end of their life are able to understand the decision that is made by a patient and maintain that relationship.
The concern behind amendment 155 is that medical professionals’ opinions must be truly independent of each other. Amendment 155 would limit access to notes by the independent practitioner. Except for seeing the referral, the independent practitioner would not be able to consult the co-ordinating medical practitioner on the case, and, from the point at which the first declaration was made, they would not have access to the notes by the co-ordinating medical practitioner, including that practitioner’s assessment.
I listened to what Liam McArthur had to say, but my concern is that the position needs to be absolutely clear and has to be in the bill. Once a patient has declared their intention to seek assisted dying, there must be no co-ordination between the two assessing practitioners. That is why I lodged amendment 155. It is important that both medical professionals are truly independent of each other.