Compassion in Dying, our sister charity
Why we started Compassion in Dying
Our mission is to change the law and give terminally ill people the choice to access assisted dying. In the years we’ve campaigned to change the law, we’ve seen that there are people struggling to access the options already available to them, like Advance Decisions (Living Wills), LPAs, and DNAR decisions. People who need help navigating end-of-life decisions right now. So in 2008 we started a new sister charity, Compassion in Dying, to provide free, charitable services to the public to enable them to be in control of their end of life decisions.
About Compassion in Dying
Compassion in Dying can help you make informed decisions, start honest conversations about death and dying with your loved ones, and record and revisit your wishes whenever you want, for free.
Compassion in Dying does a range of different things, including:
- Information and support by phone: A free nurse-led information line offering honest and compassionate information and support
- Information online: free, clear, honest information to support people to make informed decisions about the end of their life and start conversations about death and dying with loved ones
- Help when wishes aren’t respected: Support if a dying peron’s wishes are not being heard and respected.
- Online living will (advance decision) service: Support writing a living will, a form which lets you refuse any medical treatments that you do not want to be given in the future.
- Improving healthcare practice: Research and policy work to shift attitudes and drive changes to the healthcare system so people’s end-of-life decisions are heard, understood and respected.
Go to the Compassion in Dying website.
Our shared aim – and our key differences
Dignity in Dying and Compassion in Dying have a shared aim: we want to improve dying in the UK by putting people in charge of decisions about the end of their life. We share a Chief Executive and some resources, like our office and some staff.
We work towards our shared aim in different ways:
- Dignity in Dying is a not-for-profit membership organisation that campaigns to change the law to allow the option of assisted dying for terminally ill, mentally competent adults.
- Compassion in Dying is a registered charity. It helps people to be in control of their end-of-life decisions. It does not campaign on assisted dying.
We’re legally separate organisations, and have our own governance, board, and finances.