New national report exposes major gaps in Aged Care access to VAD
Go Gentle Australia has released a new national report, Voluntary Assisted Dying in Residential Aged Care Homes, revealing that many aged care providers are falling well short in supporting older Australians’ end-of-life choices.
The report presents the most current picture of how Australia’s largest aged care providers approach voluntary assisted dying (VAD) and finds widespread gaps in transparency and access.
Of the 70 providers featured in the report:
- 73% either do not offer VAD access to residents or their level of access is unclear or unpublished
- 66% provide no public information about VAD, despite it being a legal treatment option in every state and the ACT
- Only 10% offer comprehensive information and full access to VAD.
- Providers in Victoria and Western Australia – the first states to pass VAD laws – were the worst performers.
The findings raise serious questions about whether providers are meeting their obligations under state VAD laws and the federal Aged Care Act (2024).
“Sadly, this report shows the system is failing older Australians,” said Go Gentle Australia’s CEO Dr Linda Swan.
“People entering aged care need to know which health services will be available for them and they need to know that their end-of-life choices will be respected and supported.
“However, far too many aged care homes do not provide this simple information. This is a core obligation under the Aged Care Act and this lack of transparency and inaction raises serious concerns about how these facilities are supporting their residents' legal right to access VAD.”
Transparency still lacking across the sector
While VAD is now legal in every Australian state and the ACT, the report highlights that access within aged care remains inconsistent and opaque.
Many providers do not publish their policies or clearly communicate what support they will offer residents who choose VAD, leaving individuals and families to navigate uncertainty at a highly vulnerable time.
Dr Swan said: “Throughout this research, we asked: ‘What does the experience of trying to access VAD look like from an older person’s point of view?’
“For too many institutions, the experience is woefully inadequate."
Providers named for the first time
The updated research builds on last year’s Voluntary Assisted Dying in Residential Aged Care Homes: A National report card, in which individual providers were not identified.
The new report publishes providers’ names for the first time and allows their approaches to be compared, marking a significant step forward in accountability and transparency.
Alongside non-compliance, the report also highlights best practice examples of the few providers who do support residents’ VAD choices.
Rights must be upheld
The federal regulator, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, is explicit that older Australians living in residential aged care have a right to access VAD, and providers are required to support access to relevant services.
This is true even where a provider has made the decision not to participate in the VAD process, and in jurisdictions where there is no obligation for a provider to directly facilitate access to VAD services.
Craig Gear, CEO of Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN), welcomed the report and called for urgent change.
“It should not be controversial to say that all of us – no matter where we live – are entitled to choose the end-of-life care that is right for us. Where legal, this includes voluntary assisted dying,” Mr Gear said.
“Too often, older people enter residential aged care without knowing whether their end-of-life decisions will be respected. That lack of transparency must change.”
New online tools empower consumers to make informed choices
As well as the report, Go Gentle has rated the largest providers of aged care homes in Australia on how they support people who choose VAD, and published the results in a free, searchable, online database.
Also published is an e-booklet, which explains how to talk to your aged care home about VAD if you think you might choose it in the future and supports older people and their families to identify potential barriers early, ask informed questions, and plan ahead.
Go Gentle’s Dr Swan said: “People at the end of life don’t have time to pore over documents or for long back and forth with aged care homes.
“These new consumer tools give people the information they need, when they need it, in a plain language format.”
The report Voluntary Assisted Dying in Residential Aged Care Homes and accompanying consumer tool are available at: www.gogentleaustralia.org.au/aged_care_report