June 2025
The vote in Parliament on 20th June 2025 marked another step forward for the assisted dying bill – officially titled the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. While the Bill is still progressing through the legislative process, this moment brings renewed attention – and uncertainty – for hospices like ours.
There are still many unanswered questions about how assisted dying might be delivered and what role hospices may be expected to play. We welcome the amendment requiring a full review of palliative and end-of-life care in England and Wales before any implementation can begin.
As ever, we remain committed to listening, reflecting, and holding space for open, thoughtful conversations – within our team and with our community – on this deeply complex and society-shaping subject.
You can read our full position statement below.
January 2025
Our mission of supporting people to live well with dying, death and loss guides everything we do. This includes how we navigate sensitive topics like assisted dying. The experience, insight, and compassion within our team are invaluable in guiding us toward a position that reflects who we are as a hospice.
We know that many of our supporters have questions and believe it is important to share with you our current position, as we continue to listen and encourage conversation around this topic.
On 29 November 2024, MPs voted in favour of the principles of assisted dying. Since then, the Bill has progressed further, with a significant vote in the House of Commons on 20th June 2025 approving the Bill at its Third Reading. While this marks a major step forward, assisted dying is not yet legal in England and Wales. The Bill must now pass through the House of Lords, where it may be amended. Only once both Houses agree, and the Bill receives Royal Assent will it become law – likely in late 2025. If that happens, a four-year implementation period will follow, meaning assisted dying would not be available to people who are eligible until late 2029 at the latest.
We know that this sensitive and emotive topic will create a mixture of views and opinions.
At St Michael’s Hospice, it’s not our role to either support or oppose a change in the law on assisted dying. Rather, our aim is to ensure the experience and expertise of our patients, their families, our employees, volunteers, health and care partners and community are heard in this important national conversation.
Everyone should be able to access high quality palliative and end of life care, no matter who they are, where they are or why they are ill. Nobody should ever feel they have to make the choice to have an assisted death because of a real or imagined fear of not receiving the care and support they need. It’s encouraging that people on all sides of the assisted dying debate recognise that hospices need to be properly funded to continue to provide high quality palliative and end of life – regardless of whether or how the law changes.
We will continue to listen and encourage conversations about this important topic whilst we maintain our focus on supporting and enabling the community of Hastings and Rother to live well with dying, death and loss.
