New UK survey finds trans and non-binary people are facing severe ‘hurdles’ in accessing healthcare
Access to gender-affirming care in the UK has become an increasingly contentious issue. (Getty)
Access to gender-affirming care in the UK has become an increasingly contentious issue. (Getty)
A new study has found that trans and non-binary people in the UK are facing numerous “hurdles” when it comes to healthcare, with patients reporting misgendering, disruptions to prescriptions, and loss of access to previous NHS records.
The report, published by Healthwatch on Friday (25 July), found less than a third of trans and non-binary people (32 per cent) rated the gender-affirming care from their GP as good or very good, with respondents also reporting a number of issues relating to formally changing their gender on their GP record.
The study revealed nearly a third (28 per cent) of respondents who had changed their gender marker said they had lost access to their previous NHS record. In addition, 16 per cent of respondents had experienced disruptions to their prescriptions, while 18 per cent had been misgendered in NHS written communications.
In a separate question, over one in five (21 per cent) of respondents who had changed their gender on their GP record said the NHS stopped offering them procedures based on their sex assigned at birth, such as cervical screenings.
Respondents who answered questions on the gender-affirming care they received at the GP reportedly faced disruptions to their care, which the survey claimed “can have an impact on trans and non-binary people’s physical health”, and that gaps in hormone replacement therapy (HRT) medication “can result in trans women experiencing menopause symptoms and trans men experiencing menstruation restarting”.
Of the respondents who had accessed HRT through their GP, only 30 per cent experienced no disruptions to their prescription at any point.
In addition, the report found that trans and non-binary patients had “negative experiences” at GP surgeries, with the survey stating: “They may risk being outed or made to feel uncomfortable when they book, check in for, or are called in for appointments. Nearly a quarter of those who responded to our survey disagreed that GP receptionists treated them with respect.”
Nick, a 31-year-old respondent to the survey, explained that after changing his name and gender marker in 2023, he ended up with two different NHS numbers, which means the wrong information with old medications can appear if he uses services like A&E or NHS111.
He added that since changing his gender marker to male, he hasn’t been invited to a cervical screening, despite a family history of uterine cancer.
Louise Ansari, chief executive of Healthwatch, described the issues reported by trans and non-binary people as having a “profound impact”.
“It’s now time for the government to develop a holistic and national LGBT+ healthcare strategy that clarifies the extent to which primary care should deliver gender-affirming medical care, especially during long waits for people to see specialists,” Ansari said.
“The strategy should also confirm the future role of adult gender dysphoria clinics, which have been subjected to a national review that has yet to report.”
GPs ‘withdrawing care’ from trans patients
The survey follows a report in March that found GPs across the UK have announced they are no longer prescribing HRT to trans patients due to claims of “lack of expertise” and “lack of support.”
In the UK, Gender Identity Clinics (GICs) require that GPs prescribe HRT to trans patients under a shared care agreement, as most UK GICs do not have the power to prescribe medication.
Under the agreement, GICs or private organisations advise GPs on the prescriptions they give to patients. However, if GPs no longer prescribe HRT to trans people, patients could be forced to turn to private care, with some claiming they have considered self-medicating.
Samathy, a 29-year-old trans woman who spoke to PinkNews in March about her healthcare being rescinded, claimed being forced to detransition over losing access to her care would “plunge me into the worst mental state of my life.”
Speaking about considering self-medicating if she can’t get access to care, she said: “I’d much rather enjoy being treated for my NHS-diagnosed medical condition by an NHS doctor… As history shows us, removing people’s access to healthcare does not remove the need for it.”
PinkNews has contacted NHS England for comment.
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