Provides a breakdown of medical practitioner registration and training for the Voluntary Assisted Dying Scheme by region, along with data on the Regional Access Support Scheme (RASS) usage, including how patients accessed treatment when local practitioners were unavailable.

AnsweredQoN 281Legislative Council
Asked
8 September 2021
Portfolio
Health

QuestionView source ↗

I refer to the Voluntary Assisted Dying Scheme and Legislative Council question without notice 270, which was asked on 15 June 2021, and I ask: (a) by region, how many medical practitioners have registered to participate in training to date; (b) by region, how many medical practitioners have completed the mandatory training to date; (c) how many individuals have accessed the Regional Access Support Scheme; and (d) for instances where no practitioner is based locally and an application
through the Regional Access Support Scheme has been made how many
patients were treated by way of: (i) an approved practitioner(s) travelling to the patient; (ii) the patient travelling to the approved practitioner(s); and (iii) Telehealth or similar?

AnswerView source ↗

Answered
12 October 2021
Responded by
Minister for Mental Health representing the Minister for Health
Response time
8 days
I thank the Honourable Member for some notice of the question.
(a) As at 9 September 2021, the following number of medical* practitioners have registered for access to date:
a.    Metro – 96
b.    Peel – 9
c.    Goldfields - 2
d.    Great Southern – 17
e.    Kimberley - 7
f.     MidWest – 2
g.    Pilbara – 3
h.    South West – 12
i.      Wheatbelt – 3
Total Medical Practitioners – 151
*Note that there are 5 Nurse Practitioners who have registered (4 in Metro region and 1 in the MidWest)
Total practitioners – 156
Ten of the practitioners who have registered will not go on to complete the mandatory training, due to either deciding not to proceed or being found ineligible.
(b) 36 medical practitioners have completed all components of the mandatory training (as at 9 September 2021):
a.    Metro – 29
b.    Peel – 1
c.    Great Southern – 1
d.    Kimberley – 1
e.    MidWest - 1
f.     South West – 3
(c) Eight individuals have requested access to the RASS and have either received care, or have care planned to occur (as at 9 September 2021).
(d) As at 9 September 2021:
(i)       8 patients.
(ii)    Nil
(iii)   Nil. No requests for access to the RASS for videoconferencing have occurred to date.  Where appropriate, care supported via videoconference between the patient and practitioner has occurred from their residing locations and has not necessitated an application to utilise the RASS.

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