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The General Hospital should only be used to deliver assisted dying as a "last resort", according to the Health Minister – while Jersey Hospice has also confirmed it will not allow it to happen on its premises.
However, Deputy Tom Binet said it would be "pre-emptive" to rule out allowing the Hospital to be the administrative headquarters of any new Assisted Dying Service.
The clarification came ahead of a debate and key vote on the principles of introducing assisted dying in Jersey which was originally scheduled to take place today.
Members of a Scrutiny panel reviewing the proposals to introduce assisted dying in Jersey expressed concerns about some elements of the plans in a report published last week.
Pictured: The Assisted Dying Review Panel, which is chaired by Deputy Louise Doublet, shared concerns about the level of detail shared ahead of the debate.
The Panel said it is "keen to ensure that assisted dying is only carried out within the Jersey General Hospital as a last resort".
It also called on the Health Minister to "ensure that the Jersey Assisted Dying Service is not headquartered within the Jersey General Hospital".
In response, Health Minister Tom Binet agreed that an assisted death should only be carried out in the General Hospital as "a last resort, taking into consideration the wishes of the patient".
He explained that it has been discussed and agreed that assisted deaths should not be permitted on a general ward and that, after States Members vote on the proposals this week, "further consideration should be given to an appropriate place".
Meanwhile, Jersey Hospice Care CEO Mile Palfreman also confirmed to Express this week that the charity would support Hospice patients who might choose the assisted dying route, but wouldn’t be delivering it on-site.
“If the legislation is passed, we will continue to offer that palliative care even to those who may choose assisted dying," he said.
"But what we will not be doing it is delivering it within Hospice."
Pictured: Mike Palfreman speaking at the launch of the Palliative Care and End-of-Life Care Strategy last year. (Dave Ferguson)
Mr Palfreman continued: “It's difficult to say at the moment, but if a patient comes into Hospice and was with us and then says they would like assisted dying, we will, I imagine, try to find a way to help them implement their choice, but it won't be happening in Hospice.
“How we do that, it's difficult to say until if the legislation is passed.
“I think it’s very important that we will not be part of the actual end-delivery process.”
Regarding the Jersey Assisted Dying Service – which would be responsible for delivering administrative tasks and coordinating assessment processes – Deputy Binet said that "at this point in time, no detailed consideration has been given to the location of the headquarters".
"Hence I believe it is pre-emptive to commit not to headquarter in the Hospital," he added.
"In making this decision I will, in consultation with key stakeholders, need to weigh up the impact on people who want to access the Assisted Dying Service and the impact on other users of Hospital services."
The Assisted Dying Review Panel also requested that the Health Minister provide details about the timeline and stakeholders involved in discussions regarding appropriate places within the Jersey General Hospital for assisted dying by no later than two months before the assisted dying legislation is scheduled for debate by the States Assembly.
Deputy Binet accepted the recommendation, with the preparation of draft law anticipated to take a minimum of 12 to 18 months.
The debate on assisted dying was expected to be the first item on the agenda to be debated in this week's States Assembly meeting, with debate to begin early this afternoon. However, it is now due to take place later in the session, and could begin tomorrow.
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