02.03.16
Commissioners to allocate extra funding to cut transgender patient waiting times
Transgender people in England are waiting too long to access support and more funding is needed for gender identity clinics, the NHS executive in charge of improving gender identity services has warned.
In a blog post Will Huxter, chair of the NHS England Gender Task & Finish Group, says that the 18-week waiting time target is being applied inconsistently, with 4,075 patients waiting for a first appointment, 15% of whom have been waiting for more than a year.
He says that he is waiting for GPs to validate the data on transgender patients and for the results of consultations between local commissioners and gender identity clinics to agree additional funding to reduce waiting times.
Huxter said: “We know we can’t do this on our own, and it is a really key part of our approach that we want to work in partnership with the community, with providers of gender identity services, and with colleagues in other parts of the NHS, including Health Education England and the General Medical Council.
“Through working together, we can achieve real improvement more quickly.”
Gender identity clinics provide treatments for adults with gender dysphoria to help them live in their preferred gender identity, which can include mental health support, peer support groups, relatives’ support groups and hormone treatment and speech and language therapy, which can be in preparation for surgery.
There are just seven such clinics in England, as well as the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust for children and young people.
Almost half of all patients waiting for an appointment about gender dysphoria are aged 18-24.
Local services Huxter singled out for praise include Brighton and Hove, for providing an online guide for supporting transgender patients in GP surgeries, Exeter, for having a four-week waiting list, London, for using a triage system, Sheffield, for offering a preparation group for people on the waiting list, and Nottingham, for offering a one day course for patients and families.
Last year, Laurence Webb of Pride in Practice provided advice in NHE on how to improve health outcomes among LGBT people, who are less likely to have trust in their GPs and more likely to be affected by conditions including mental illnesses, eating disorders and drug and alcohol use.