New website tracks which GPs are refusing HRT prescriptions

A new community-based website allows trans people to review their GPs based on what gender-affirming services they provide.

Launched earlier this month, MyTransGP aims to create a community-driven database of which NHS General Practitioners (GPs) provide vital gender-affirming services, and which don’t.

Over the past few years, some GPs across the UK have abruptly cancelled gender-affirming care prescriptions for adult patients without prior warning.

To help counteract the harm caused by the wave of cancellations, systems specialist Luna and software engineer Jolyne created the site so that patients could review their GPs or search for alternatives based on testimonials.

Contributors are able to rank practitioners based on an array of different categories, including what services they provide, which doctors are the most helpful, and their general experiences speaking to nurses, doctors, and receptionists.

Services listed include shared care agreements, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) prescriptions, hormone monitoring, Gender Identity Clinic (GIC) referrals, acceptance of non-binary patients, whether they will work with private healthcare providers, and much more.

The website also uses third-party data from Google to provide a comprehensive list of details for each GP, including opening times, contact details, and a list of doctors.

Users are required to create an account before submitting a review in order to stop an influx of “bad-faith activity”, according to the developers.

In less than a week since MyTransGP was announced, at least 450 users have contributed over 740 reviews to the site, which saw over 1,000 visits on its second day alone.

Speaking exclusively to PinkNews, Luna, 33, said they were “very happy” to see how popular the site has already become, adding that it is “still hitting us both”.

“We haven’t fully taken it in,” Luna said. “I wasn’t too sure how it would be received. We put a lot of thought into preventing misuse of the site, and its data … so when the response was overwhelmingly positive, I could breathe a sigh of relief.”

‘This isn’t just a difference of opinion about medicine’

Jolyne, 25, pitched the site to Luna last year after experiencing first-hand the impact of GPs cancelling gender-affirming services for its patients.

“My GP stopped doing blood tests in 2022 when I was [receiving] private HRT, which caused me to not be able to get my prescription,” she said. “I couldn’t find any other GP that would monitor my hormones, and I didn’t have the money for private blood tests. So I was getting detransitioned against my own will.”

Like many trans people in the UK, Jolyne was forced to resort to self-medication – the act of taking hormones without medical oversight – in order to continue treatment.

In the UK, GICs require that GPs prescribe HRT to trans patients under a shared care agreement due to operational restrictions. Under the agreement, GICs will monitor a patient’s health through regular blood tests and provide GPs with recommended prescription doses based on hormone levels.

If a GP refuses a shared care agreement, patients have no choice but to either pay hundreds in monthly costs for a private healthcare service, or resort to self-medication. Patients that have undergone gender confirmation surgery, colloquially known as ‘bottom surgery’, who do not have access to HRT can develop health issues such as osteoporosis.

“This isn’t just a ‘difference of opinion’ about medicine,” Luna claimed. “[GPs are] either blinded by prejudice, scared to do the right thing because of organised pressure … or are simply not qualified to do their job.

“Whatever the motivation, the result is the same. Trans people are left without necessary healthcare, and our mental and physical health suffers greatly because of discrimination in medicine and society. The evidence is clear that support is the difference.”

Peer-reviewed research published in a 2022 issue of Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience found that access to gender-affirming care significantly reduces suicidal ideation, and improves quality of life. Another study, published in JAMA Pediatrics in 2024 found that access to support almost universally improves the mental health of trans people.

Luna said the issue is also about “fairness”, arguing that trans healthcare is routinely treated as “exceptional” and held to a higher standard than any other area of medicine.

“It seems silly to have to say that giving people the healthcare they need and treating them with support and respect makes them be able to live happy, healthy, and fulfilling lives,” she said.

“GPs routinely manage risk, monitor, adjust, and consult specialists for other conditions. HRT is given routinely and is easily accessible if you’re not trans … Cis people get their hormone levels checked if they have an issue with fertility, yet doing blood tests for trans people is treated as ‘risky’. The concern is not genuine safety … if that was the case we wouldn’t be a special exception. We would be treated like everyone else.”

MyTransGP devs urge patients to get reviewing

People across the UK have largely sung the praises of MyTransGP, with some saying it has already hugely improved their lives by allowing them to make informed decisions about their health.

One user wrote to Luna and Jolyne, saying: “Thank you to all of you trying to make the world a better place.” Another wrote: “Good news from the UK? That’s a change, isn’t it? Glad to see something hopeful happening here for once.”

The pair urged those who have experiencing issues with their GPs to contribute to the site and find a practitioner “that will provide what you need”.

Luna also urged the trans community to continue to support one another as transphobia rises in the UK and globally, saying: “There are many groups around the UK offering support and advice on what you can do, and advocating service to help you get what you need.”

Users can contribute to MyTransGP by creating an account or logging in with their Google account.

Is your GP refusing to prescribe you HRT? Read this guide on what to do if you’re being refused care or support.

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