As I write, the UK is moving towards the legalisation of assisted dying. Bills have progressed in Parliaments in England and Wales, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Jersey. Doctors will play a crucial part in delivering the new assisted dying services and ensuring the required safeguards are met; some will do so without discomfort, glad to help patients have some degree of autonomy at the end of life; others, myself included, will feel anxious about the future.

I fear the risk of the legalisation of assisted dying to the existing and future GP workforce. We are arguably the most likely profession to provide assisted dying services if, as proposed, they are delivered as part of NHS care. After all, we are typically the first point of contact for patients; we’re accessible, we’re based in the community, we have the relational continuity and trust needed to have these challenging conversations, we are used to visiting patients in their homes, and we have regular involvement in end-of-life care alongside our community nursing teams.

Many people who become GPs do so out of a desire to help people and reduce suffering. I remember being moved as a first-year medical student hearing William Osler’s words, that our role as a doctor is to cure sometimes, relieve often, and comfort always.1 This mantra has helped me so many times in my work as a GP. It is not uncommon for us to be unable to find a cure, sometimes we can’t reduce suffering, but we can do …