Mountbatten Issues Statement On Terminally Ill Adults Bill

On Friday (20 June) the Terminally Ill Adults Bill was passed by 314 votes to 291, in a free vote by MPs.

The next step is for the bill to go to the House of Lords and it must pass this stage if it is to become law.

This is expected to happen, but it is not guaranteed.

The government and health bosses would then have up to four years to make the bill a reality.

CEO of the Mountbatten Group, Nigel Hartley MBE, who heads up two local hospices, Mountbatten Isle of Wight and Mountbatten Hampshire, said:

“The vote to pass the Terminally Ill Adults [end-of-life] Bill is a huge step for our society.

“Over the next few years we will see how this develops, through further debate and a vote in the House of Lords.

“Assisted dying will never be an alternative to hospice and specialist palliative care.

“If assisted dying is legalised, it will be a choice for some alongside expert and compassionate end-of-life care services, which remain a basic human right.

“The government needs to commit to better funding for hospices. Hospices deserve this because even people who may end up choosing assisted dying will need access to palliative and end-of-life support.

“Mountbatten’s priority is to ensure all those people who need our expert care and support, across the Isle of Wight, Southampton and large parts of Hampshire, can access it.

"The passing of the Assisted Dying Bill will not change this.

“These are very worrying times for Mountbatten Isle of Wight. The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board is cutting 40% of our current NHS funding — amounting to £600,000 this autumn and £1.4 million in 2026/7.

“This decision makes no sense.

“We are beginning conversations with those who made this decision and hope we can move to a time when the NHS takes responsibility for people who are dying.”