Assisted dying must be free through NHS

ASSISTED dying must be available on the NHS without charge if legalised, supporters have insisted.

- By Hanna Geissler

Labour MP Kim Leadbeater could table an amendment to her Assisted Dying Bill to stipulate these terms.

Reports had suggested the service could be provided by private firms.

One possibility is that it could be contracted out by the NHS to the private sector but still remain free at the point of use.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting last year claimed that NHS services could be cut if the law changed, as he made his opposition to the bill clear. When questioned by the Express about the basis of that claim, however, he admitted that no cost analysis had yet been carried out.

Officials are understood to be preparing an impact assessment.