Assisted dying law 'unworkable, unaffordable and naive'

A partnership of the country's leading social care and end of life organisations has told Sky News of their deep frustration at being excluded from important discussions around the assisted dying debate - describing the proposed change to the law as "unworkable, unaffordable and naive".

The Coalition of Frontline Care for People Nearing the End of Life is worried about the impact of introducing assisted dying will have on their three million-strong workforce, which they say is on the frontline for delivering care to terminally ill adults. The partnership includes The Gold Standards Framework Charity (GSF), National Care Forum (NCF), British Geriatric Society (BGS), Care England (CE) and the Community Hospital Association.

It submitted evidence at the committee stage of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, but was not called to give evidence. Professor Martin Vernon, consultant geriatrician and spokesperson for ethics and law at the British Geriatric Society, told Sky News: "This is a huge problem for us.

"The majority of people this law will impact are going to be older people with complex needs, and there has been virtually no engagement in the consultation process around this proposed legislation." Professor Vernon and his coalition colleagues are especially concerned about sick and vulnerable adults being pressured into making choices. "We then may see, increasingly, older people with life-limiting diagnoses like dementia, like frailty, feeling the need to opt for assisted dying or indeed feeling coerced either by their circumstances or societally," he added.

"This may place a heavy burden on some individuals to choose assisted dying when, actually, the creation of better alternatives - supportive care, and palliative care to enable them to have a dignified and comfortable last few years of life should be the way to go." Caroline Southgate, founder and managing director of home care company Doris Jones, told Sky News there was simply not enough information about the impact assisted dying would have on her staff. "I think we are concerned that we don't have enough clarity about how we would train staff, how we support people if they make that decision," she said.

"At the moment, the way that the bill is presented doesn't give us enough information to know how we would deal with those issues. "If someone chooses this route, all I need to know is what's my role, where are my boundaries?" Mrs Southgate is also worried about her staff being accused of coercion.

Because of the nature of their work, home carers build up a strong bond with the people they tend to, often seeing them multiple times a day. And sometimes, they might be the only contact their service users have.

Read more:Assisted dying debate delayed after controversy over amendmentsTwo terminally ill adults meet to debate assisted dyingPlans to legalise assisted dying in Scotland pass first stage "I think we've got lots and lots of experience of being in homes with people, dealing with families, who trust us to look after the person who needs care and support at home," she added. "I need to know that we would be insured and protected should a family decide that one of our staff was accused of coercing someone, or the other way around, talking someone out of a situation.

"We really need a lot more information to make that safe for us and to make sure that our staff are really well supported." Katy Betz works for Mrs Southgate. She is a trained nurse originally from Germany but has lived and worked as a carer in England for over 20 years.

Kate loves what she does, but echoes the same concerns expressed by her employer: Assisted dying could change the relationship she has with her service users. Driving along Southend's seafront, she explains there is little else she and her care colleagues talk about these days.

"It is important.