Toby Porter, CEO of Hospice UK, responds to the result of the vote on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.
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Toby Porter, CEO of Hospice UK, which is neutral on whether or not the law should be changed, said:
"We have been encouraged throughout the debate of recent weeks that people on all sides have been unified on one point. MPs today have been abundantly clear on this. Palliative and end of life care in the UK is currently not sufficient. People are not getting the care they need. This must change.
"We have said before that it is intolerable that anyone might choose an assisted death because of a fear that they won't get the care they need. That fear, at present, is real, and justified. Government must act, now and in the long term, to change this.
"Today's vote has monumental ramifications for the UK's end of life care system and hospice sector. In the further stages of the Parliamentary process that will now follow, it is absolutely critical that MPs seek to really understand and engage with the detail of the very significant challenges that have been raised with the draft Bill, and will continue to emerge as the bill progresses.
"MPs have approved the Bill as presented, in principle. But approval in principle and implementation in practice are very different things. The implications for hospices must not be underestimated or sidelined. There are huge unanswered questions. We urge all MPs to now actively engage with and listen to the expertise and experience of the hospice sector."
