Our Response To The New Guidelines For Prosecutors On Assisted Suicide

Main Category: Nursing / Midwifery
Article Date: 25 Sep 2009 - 1:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions  

The NMC has responded to the release of new Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) guidelines, Interim Policy for Prosecutors in respect of Cases of Assisted Suicide. Download the guidelines from the Crown Prosecution Service website [PDF]

We recognise that assisted suicide is an important and emotive issue for healthcare professionals, patients and members of the public.

However, as the statutory regulator for nurses and midwives, our core purpose is to safeguard the health and well-being of the public.

It is the NMC's statutory duty to remind nurses and midwives that they must practice within their code of professional conduct and within the context of national laws. The law on assisted suicide has not changed.

Commenting on the new CPS guidelines, NMC Chief Executive & Registrar, Kathy George, said:

"Despite these new guidelines for prosecutors, nurses and midwives are personally accountable for their actions and must act lawfully at all times. This is clearly stated in their code of professional conduct. Assisting the suicide of a patient remains against the law".

Source
The Nursing and Midwifery Council

• Additional
• References
• Citations