More health practitioners in Western Australia participated in the coordination, consultation or administering of VAD in 2025-26 than the previous year, but new research shows that growth that has not kept pace with demand.
Increasing the number of practitioners offering voluntary assisted dying (VAD) to meet patient demand will require MBS funding, according to the Voluntary Assisted Dying Board of Western Australia’s annual report.
Of the 172 total health practitioners eligible to participate in VAD in WA, GPs made up almost half.
Most participating practitioners acted as coordinating, consulting, or administering practitioners for two to 10 patients.
“Service demand has grown faster than staffing and operational capacity in several parts of the system, including care navigation, pharmacy services and local health service coordination,” the report read.
“These services play a vital role in sustaining the operation of the voluntary assisted dying system and mitigating risks associated with an insufficient practitioner workforce.”
In 2025-26, 1249 people made a first request for VAD – a 21% increase on the previous year and more than a 130% increase over five years.
During the reporting period, 541 people died after choosing VAD, representing 2.9% of total deaths in WA – a more than 180% increase over the previous five years.
Among patients eligible for VAD, 66.7% had a cancer-related diagnosis, and 55.5% were men. The median age was 77 years.
However, less than a third of VAD patients lived in regional areas (27.6%), with more than double living in metropolitan areas (72.4%). A similar trend was observed for the location of VAD practices.
Most VAD deaths were administered by a practitioner (93.9%), with the majority occurring at the patient’s home (39.8%) or in a public hospital ward (35.4%).
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However, the board addressed the concern that increased demand was causing delays in the WA VAD statewide care navigator service, which could contribute to further suffering or reduced access to end-of-life choices.
Personal reflections from patients, families, and practitioners highlighted limited VAD information resources and calls to extend eligibility to long-term WA residents who lost decision-making capacity due to neurodegenerative conditions including dementia or Alzheimer’s.
In 2025-26, the Board reviewed 228 patient cases, referring one failure to respond to a VAD access request in compliance with the Act to the Health and Disability Services Complaints Office, and 255 late form submissions to the WA Department of Health director general.
“My mum had been in the [regional hospital] and told a doctor that she wanted help to die. The doctor said no, and that was it,” one family member said.
“‘My concern is … my GP and other GPs in the clinic were simply unaware of the VAD process,” said another family member.
“They were not conscientious objectors and were happy to help, but they were unaware how to proceed.
“We independently made contact with the Navigator Service after reading a pamphlet online and finding the phone number towards the end of the document (hiding a light under a bushel).
“This stumble took up valuable time in a very rapidly worsening situation.”
The report also called for the development of a dedicated resource for junior doctors to raise awareness of VAD and to guide responses to a first request.
In 2025-26, 93% of patients who died after taking a VAD substance did so within the Act’s prognosis window – six months of their first assessment, or within 12 months for neurodegenerative conditions.
The proportion of patients who died before completing the eligibility assessment for VAD fell to 16.7% in 2025-26, compared with 35.5% in 2021-22.
However, the longest interval between first request and death in 2025-26 was also the longest on record – 1007 days in the Perth metropolitan area and 597 days in regional areas.
The report called for three legislative reforms, including removing the restrictions in the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth) on telehealth services and electronic communication, which create barriers in rural and remote areas; introducing MBS items for assisted dying services; and improving the patient journey through the VAD process.
The board also recommended amending the Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2019 (WA) to allow care to be transferred between trained practitioners, including temporarily, when a practitioner is unavailable.
The board argued that this would maintain patient access and minimise administrative burden.
Patients most often cited accessing VAD in 2025-26 due to being less able to engage in activities that make life enjoyable (74.8%), losing autonomy (59%), and loss of dignity (57.1%).
Among patients whose primary diagnosis deemed them eligible following a first assessment, the most common diagnosis was a malignant neoplasm of the bronchus and lung (69.4%).
Read the full report here.
