Transgender clinic ‘will change lives’
TRANSGENDER patients will be able to receive care in Wales rather than have to travel to London from next month.
The Welsh Gender Team will begin clinics in Cardiff from September 20.
The clinic will be run by Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, and staff have started contacting Welsh patients who are currently on the waiting-list for the London clinic to see if they would like to receive their care from Cardiff instead.
All new referrals to the Welsh Gender Service will now be made straight to the Welsh Gender Team, and any new referrals will join the waiting-list behind the existing patients who have been waiting for an appointment in London.
April Welsh is a transgender woman from Caerphilly who was referred to the London Gender Identity Clinic when her body started to reject the oestrogen she was prescribed at the Royal Gwent Hospital.
In January 2016 April was admitted to hospital as she was experiencing seizures, dizziness, loss of focus and headaches.
April was forced to wean herself off the hormone therapy and was then transferred to the clinic, where she was prescribed a gel form of oestrogen.
She said the new clinic in Wales is massively important for the community and it is something she has been advocating.
“I have travelled all that way to London many times for what will only be a half-an-hour appointment, so it’s good for the convenience of it.
“It literally takes a whole day just for one appointment.
“I am sure there will be some teething problems at first, but the people
who will be running the Welsh Gender Team will have the same standard of training as those in the London clinic.
“It is definitely a good thing for the community.”
April said London is the only place in the UK at the moment that offers gender reassignment surgery, so hopes that the launch of the Welsh Gender Team is a step in the right direction.
“There are so many more people coming out now because society has become more accepting.
“The waiting-list for the London clinic at the moment is probably around one and a half years to two years, so this will definitely help people get seen faster.
“It is going to change lives”.
As part of the new service Local Gender Teams will be set up in each health board.
Patients will be reviewed by their local team after they have received their assessment from the team in Cardiff.
The local teams will be responsible for maintaining the treatment plans for patients, as well as offering them support in their community until they are fully stabilised on their medications.
Len Richards, chief executive of Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, said: “It is great news that the service will be opening for the trans community.
“I would like to thank the Welsh Gender Team for their hard work and commitment in getting the service ready to see patients, and also thank the community for their patience while the service has been developed.”