The seven residential aged care operators leading the way on VAD
Key points
VAD access gaps exposed across aged care sector
- Limited access: 73% lack VAD access or policies
- Low transparency: Only 10% provide full public VAD access
- Best practice: Seven providers offer full VAD access
- Compliance risk: Report flags potential legal gaps
Go Gentle Australia (GGA), the advocate for Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD), has released a report card for residential aged care.
The follow-up to GGA’s previous national report card released in September 2025, the report names aged care providers and lists details of their VAD offerings for the first time.
VAD is now legal in every Australian state and the ACT, yet the report highlights that access within aged care remains inconsistent and opaque.
Nearly three in four aged care operators (73%) either don’t offer VAC or do not public access to policies, GGA stated.
Only 10% of operators offer comprehensive public access to information about their VAD offerings and offer full access to VAD.
Among the 70 operators surveyed, only Regis Aged Care, Bupa, Uniting NSW.ACT, OneCare, ElderCare, Resthaven and Whiddon Group had open public information about access to VAD in their homes and provided full VAD access.
Expand the list below to see where 70 aged care operators rank.
National: Voluntary Assisted Dying in Aged Care
All 70 reviewed aged care providers — click to view table
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| Operates in | Provider | Quality of public VAD information | Level of VAD access | Go Gentle comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VIC, WA, SA, QLD, NSW | Opal HealthCare | Told us that they don't impede VAD access, but there's no public information about VAD to verify this. | ||
| VIC, WA, SA, QLD, NSW | Bolton Clarke (includes Allity, Acacia Living Group and McKenzie) | Told us that they don't impede VAD access and in February 2025 that a VAD policy was in development. There is still no public information about VAD available. | ||
| VIC, SA, QLD, NSW | Estia | No response. | ||
| VIC, WA, TAS, SA, QLD, NSW, NT | Regis | Best practice provider | ||
| VIC, SA, QLD, NSW | Bupa | Best practice provider | ||
| NSW, ACT | Uniting (NSW ACT) & Wesley Mission NSW | Best practice provider | ||
| VIC, TAS, SA, NSW, ACT | Calvary Aged Care | Has not responded to our enquiries. Provides limited VAD information and restricted VAD access. | ||
| VIC, QLD, NSW, ACT | Arcare | No response. | ||
| QLD | Blue Care | Told us that they don't impede VAD access, but there's no public information about VAD to verify this. | ||
| WA, NSW, ACT | BaptistCare NSW, ACT & WA | No response. | ||
| QLD, NSW | Catholic Healthcare | Open and clear communication with us to explain that they provide secondary VAD access. | ||
| VIC | BlueCross (owned by Opal Healthcare since March 2024) | No response. | ||
| WA | Aegis | Told us that they don't impede VAD access, but there's no public information about VAD to verify this. | ||
| VIC, QLD, NSW | St Vincent's Care Services | No response. Provides limited VAD information and restricted VAD access. | ||
| NSW | Anglicare (Sydney) | Open and clear communication with us to explain that they provide secondary VAD access. | ||
| VIC, WA, QLD, NSW | Mercy Health | No response. | ||
| WA, NSW, ACT | Hall & Prior | Told us they had a VAD policy but would not share it with us. | ||
| NSW, ACT | RSL LifeCare | No response. | ||
| QLD | OzCare | No response. | ||
| QLD, NSW, ACT | IRT | No response. | ||
| VIC, WA, TAS, QLD, NSW | Respect Group | No response. Provides limited VAD information and secondary VAD access. | ||
| QLD | Churches of Christ in Queensland | No response. | ||
| NSW | Thompson Health Care | No response. | ||
| VIC | TLC Healthcare | No response. | ||
| VIC, SA, QLD, NSW | Infinite Care | No response. | ||
| VIC | Royal Freemasons | Told us that they provide secondary VAD information, but there's no public information about VAD to verify this. | ||
| VIC | Barwon Health | No response. | ||
| VIC | Ryman Aged Care | Told us that they support full access to VAD, but there's no public information about VAD to verify this. | ||
| VIC, TAS | Uniting Agewell | Told us that they support secondary access to VAD, but there's no public information about VAD to verify this. | ||
| VIC | Bass Care | No response. | ||
| VIC, WA, QLD, NSW | AdventCare | Told us that they do not impede VAD access, but there's no public information about VAD to verify this. | ||
| VIC | Oxa Care | No response. | ||
| WA | Italian Aged Care Incorporated | Told us that they don't impede VAD access, but there's no public information about VAD to verify this. | ||
| VIC, WA | CraigCare | No response. | ||
| WA | SwanCare Group | Told us that they support full access to VAD, but there's no public information about VAD to verify this. | ||
| WA | Bethanie Group | Open and clear communication with us to explain that they provide secondary VAD access. | ||
| WA | Rosewood Care Group | No response. | ||
| TAS | OneCare | Best practice provider | ||
| TAS | Meercroft Care Inc | Told us they had a VAD policy but would not share it with us. | ||
| TAS | Queen Victoria Home Inc | No response. | ||
| TAS | Southern Cross Care (Tas) | No response. | ||
| VIC, TAS | Baptcare Ltd (VIC, TAS) | No response. | ||
| TAS | Glenview Community Services Inc | Told us that they don't impede VAD access and in April 2025 that a VAD policy was in development. There is still no public information about VAD available. | ||
| SA | Eldercare | Best practice provider | ||
| VIC, SA | Lutheran Homes | Told us that they support secondary access to VAD, but there's no public information about VAD to verify this. | ||
| SA | Warrina Homes | Told us they had a VAD policy but would not share it with us. | ||
| VIC, SA | Southern Cross Care | Told us that they do not impede VAD access, but there's no public information about VAD to verify this. | ||
| SA | UnitingSA | Open and clear communication with us to explain that they provide secondary VAD access. | ||
| SA | Bene Aged Care | Open and clear communication with us to explain that they provide secondary VAD access. | ||
| SA | Resthaven | Best practice provider | ||
| SA | Aged Care & Housing Group | No response. | ||
| SA | Alywndor Aged Care | No response. | ||
| QLD | The Good Shepherd Home | Open and clear communication with us to explain that they provide secondary VAD access. | ||
| QLD | Mercy Community Services | No response. | ||
| VIC, QLD | MiCare | No response. | ||
| QLD | Seventh-Day Adventist Aged Care (South Queensland) | No response. | ||
| QLD | NoosaCare Inc | Told us that they don't impede VAD access, but there's no public information about VAD to verify this. | ||
| QLD | Jomal (since acquired by Opal) | No response. | ||
| QLD | Renton Family Trust No 1 (Bundaleer Lodge) | Told us that they support full access to VAD, but there's no public information about VAD to verify this. | ||
| VIC, WA, TAS, SA, QLD, NSW | The Salvation Army | No response. | ||
| QLD | Good Shepherd Lodge | Told us that they support full access to VAD, but there's no public information about VAD to verify this. | ||
| NSW | Montefiore | Told us that they support secondary access to VAD, but there's no public information about VAD to verify this. | ||
| NSW | The Whiddon Group | Best practice provider | ||
| NSW | Peninsula Village Ltd | Told us they had a VAD policy but would not share it with us. | ||
| VIC, SA, NSW | HammondCare | Told us that they do not impede VAD access, but there's no public information about VAD to verify this. | ||
| NSW | SummitCare | Told us VAD is not supported in their facilities. | ||
| SA | Anglicare SA | No response. | ||
| NSW | St Basil's Homes | No response. | ||
| NSW | Fresh Hope Communities | Told us that they do not impede VAD access, but there's no public information about VAD to verify this. | ||
| VIC, WA, QLD, NSW | Signature Care | No response. |
Source: Google Sheet National tab, “Know Your Rights: VAD in Australian Aged Care”. Check formatting and spelling against the source before publication.
“Sadly, this report shows the system is failing older Australians,” said Go Gentle Australia’s CEO Dr Linda Swan.
“People entering aged care need to know which health services will be available for them and they need to know that their end-of-life choices will be respected and supported.”
The findings, which were dated from January 2026, suggest operators may not be meeting their obligations under state VAD laws and the Federal Aged Care Act (2024).
“Far too many aged care homes do not provide this simple information," said Linda.
“This is a core obligation under the Aged Care Act and this lack of transparency and inaction raises serious concerns about how these facilities are supporting their residents' legal right to access VAD.”
Craig Gear, CEO of Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN), said: “All of us – no matter where we live – are entitled to choose the end-of-life care that is right for us. Where legal, this includes voluntary assisted dying.
“Too often, older people enter residential aged care without knowing whether their end-of-life decisions will be respected. That lack of transparency must change.”
