Registration of interest invited for the assisted dying service SCENZ lists

Tēnā koutou
 
On behalf of the Support and Consultation for End of Life in New Zealand group, the Ministry of Health would like to invite medical practitioners and psychiatrists who would like to be included on the lists of practitioners willing to provide parts of the assisted dying services to register their interest.
To find out more, and to register your interest to be included on the Support and Consultation for End of Life in New Zealand (SCENZ) group lists, please go to this online form here: https://consult.health.govt.nz/regulatory-assurance/a4926ee3/
Assisted dying will be legal in New Zealand from 7 November 2021.  The introduction of assisted dying means that a person with a terminal illness who meets the eligibility criteria can request medication to relieve their suffering and end their life.  

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As part of the implementation, the statutory body for the assisted dying service, the SCENZ group, was recently formed.  One of the roles of the SCENZ group is to oversee the lists of:
·       replacement attending medical practitioners (where a person seeks the name of a practitioner to provide the service for them.  This practitioner will support someone who is terminally ill to make an application for assisted dying, and undertake a first assessment)
·       independent medical practitioners (to undertake the second independent assessment)

• psychiatrists (required if one or both of the initial assessments was unable to determine that the person is competent to make a decision).

The SCENZ lists and information held will be secure and the registration process will confirm practitioners skills and experience for inclusion on the lists.
The lists will be drawn on by the SCENZ group, who will work with the assisted dying service secretariat in the Ministry of Health, to connect eligible people with practitioners as required.
 
The list registration will remain open and will be enduring over time.
 
The Ministry continues to work directly with the health and disability sector as part of the implementation of the Act.  This includes ongoing engagement with Māori health providers, including to ensure Māori practitioners who may wish to provide assisted dying services are aware of the SCENZ list registration processes.
 
If you have questions about the SCENZ list registration of interest processes please contact the implementation team eolc@health.govt.nz
 
Find out more about the SCENZ group here.
Additional information about the function of the SCENZ lists
The SCENZ group lists are required under the End of Life Choice Act 2019 (the Act) to help support equitable access to assisted dying by eligible people.  
Any medical or nurse practitioner who is suitably qualified, and willing to do so, will be able to provide parts of the assisted dying process.
If a person requests assisted dying from a medical practitioner who does not provide assisted dying services due to a conscientious objection, the medical practitioner is legally required to inform the person of their objection, and tell the person they have the right to ask the SCENZ group for the name and contact details of a medical practitioner who is willing to participate in assisted dying.  
A person will also be able to contact the SCENZ group directly for help to find a medical practitioner if they do not want to speak to their own medical practitioner about assisted dying. 
Find out more about the delivery and funding of assisted dying services in this implementation website section.
 
Training and resources
A key part of the Ministry’s implementation work is providing training, information and guidance for health professionals to support preparation for the introduction of assisted dying services. 
In September, a package of e-learning modules for health practitioners choosing to provide assisted dying services will be made available.  There will also be practical training provided as part of the assisted dying workforce forum being hosted in Wellington at the end of September.
The latest guidance and training resources for health professionals can be found on the Ministry’s LearnOnline platform. 
Details of the training, and information sheets, are also available on the Ministry’s website under the Implementation resources section.
If you have questions, please contact us eolc@health.govt.nz
 
Nāku noa, nā
The End of Life Choice Act implementation team

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