Rachael Maskell

I rise to speak to amendments 26, 45 and 46, which stand in my name and the names of other Members. I am grateful for their support. On amendment 26, hospice care is not a formulation of care, but a clinical setting where palliative care is delivered, so I trust that the House will accept my amendment in the interests of accuracy. On amendment 45 and consequential amendment 46, the literature points to complex clinical decision making—which the subject of the Bill is—being safer if it happens in the context of multidisciplinary teams, as was advocated for by the professional bodies at the very start of the process. Such a context screens out unconscious bias and provides for clinical accountability with robust interdependency. It demands a deliberative process and it safeguards clinicians and patients with more secure outcomes. I have talked extensively to the professional bodies and clinicians, and I have read the academic evidence. In drawing on best practice, this amendment would provide such safeguards and ensure that the patient is at the heart of the process. Members will know from the evidence given to the Bill Committee that the initial assessment is the most important part of the process, and clinicians and professional bodies do not understand why psychiatrists and social workers are being placed in a quasi-judicial role, rather than being used for their clinical and social expertise. The process makes the wrong assumptions. Without the amendments, there is a predication towards an assisted death, rather than the Bill recognising the insecure position that someone with a terminal illness finds themselves in and the safeguards that are required. There are many reasons for suicidality, and they should be explored. In clinical practice, should someone determine that they want to end their life for whatever reason, a clinician would seek to ensure that the right professionals were involved in the care of the person, with exploration, diagnosis and, where necessary, therapeutic and pharmacological interventions.