NHS ‘capitulating’ to anti-trans lobby, policy expert says

NHS England is “capitulating” to anti-trans rhetoric with its decisions on gender-affirming care, according to a policy expert for one of the UK’s leading trans rights organisations.

Trans-led nonprofit TransActual said the public health service’s recent decisions on trans healthcare had been “driven by bigotry” after it announced a ban on new hormone prescriptions for transgender teenagers earlier this week.

Officials confirmed on Monday (9 March) that 16-17 year olds would no longer be able to access masculinising and feminising (MAF) hormone prescriptions through its services, claiming that evidence regarding the treatment’s benefits remain “really weak.”

MAF hormones are primarily given to trans adults alongside hormone blockers as part of hormone replacement therapy (HRT), which helps to affirm a patient’s gender identity. In rare cases, they are given to teenagers aged 16 and up who have been on puberty blockers for sufficient periods to help minimise the side effects of immediately switching treatments.

Alongside its announcement, NHS England also said it plans to launch a public consultation on proposed changes to its youth gender, suggested as part of its plan to implement widely-criticised recommendations brought by Dr Hilary Cass.

An Equality and Health Inequalities Impact Assessment (EHIA) report, published on the same day, revealed that the service is also launching an evidence review into the benefits and drawbacks of MAF hormones for trans adults.

NHS England ignores ‘decades of evidence’, policy expert argues

Responding to the wave of announcements, TransActual policy lead Tammy Hymas accused NHS England of ignoring “decades of evidence and experience” that show gender-affirming care is safe and effective.

“Whether you want to transition, access contraception, or have an abortion, everyone has the absolute right to bodily autonomy,” she told PinkNews. “It is concerning that, in recent years, the NHS is increasingly capitulating to a small group of well-funded anti-trans campaigners.”

The policy expert said it was “clear” that several high profile figures within equalities and health departments had been “handpicked for their anti-trans views” and were driven to attack trans healthcare by “an ideological belief that LGBTQ+ people should be stripped of their rights.”

“As the NHS embarks on their evidence review of gender-affirming hormone treatments for adults, we call on them to ensure that they do not cast aside the human right to self-determination.”

Following its announcement, NHS England’s medical director for specialised service, James Palmer, said that clinicians had been instructed to review existing prescriptions for transgender patients.

The reviews will reportedly look at the evidence reviews which led to the ban, and make a shared decision with individual patients on whether they can continue taking the medication.

A TransActual report published earlier this month found that a staggering ninety-seven per cent of trans people in the UK say they have been treated differently by their GPs because of their gender identity. Nearly three-quarters say they avoid their GPs altogether.

In its EHIA report, NHS England said it did not believe these decisions amounted to direct or indirect discrimination, claiming they had “properly and rationally” acted on evidence it had received.

Gender Plus, the UK’s only CQC Outstanding trans healthcare provider, objected to this claim, saying that the ban contradicts the recommendations given by “every reputable expert body” in trans healthcare.

“We will assess their policy document and evidence-based review to better understand how they arrived at this decision,” a spokesperson said. “Gender Plus continues to adhere to international best practices.”

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