Anglicare Southern Queensland is committed to compassionate, best practice care and support, for people at the end of their lives. Our end-of-life care focuses on quality of life, a holistic approach, and open communication.

We provide comprehensive care which meets peoples’ physical, mental, social, and spiritual needs, and is in line with their individual preferences, values and beliefs.

Our approach is grounded in the Anglicare Southern Queensland values of love, care, hope and humility. It includes our pastoral care approach and is aligned with best practice palliative care, the National Guidelines for Spiritual Care in Aged Care, the Charter of Aged Care Rights and the Aged Care User Rights Principles.

Anglicare Southern Queensland respects the rights of our clients to access the provisions of the Act as a lawful process. Where a client or resident requests to do so, we will support them as required to access and participate in voluntary assisted dying in line with the obligations in the Act.

Anglicare Southern Queensland employees will not be directly involved in the request and assessment process, in line with the provisions of the Act, but will provide associated care and support as required, consistent with our comprehensive care for people at the end of their lives. All client requests in relation to voluntary assisted dying will be met with a compassionate response which recognises that such a request inevitably arises out of an experience of suffering, whether physical, mental or existential. Anglicare Southern Queensland is committed to working in partnership with clients, their families, and other relevant services, including voluntary assisted dying services as required, to alleviate suffering at the end of life.

Anglicare Southern Queensland also respects the rights of our employees who make a personal choice not to participate in the voluntary assisted dying process. We acknowledge that many people, including clients, their families, and employees, will have strong feelings about voluntary assisted dying, and we respect our employees’ right to hold their own views. We will accommodate the choice of individual employees in respect to voluntary assisted dying and ensure an inclusive and supportive environment for all, whilst also ensuring that all employees act in a way which is both compassionate and consistent with a clients’ rights.