Wales to get own gender identity team

PEOPLE requiring gender identity treatment will be able to access all their treatment in Wales for the first time soon, it has been confirmed.

Currently, patients in Wales are transferred to the Gender Identity Clinic in London – adding to the cost and time it takes to access treatment. But from October, a new Welsh gender team will start seeing patients, allowing more people to access the care they need closer to home.

Health Secretary Vaughan Gething, who announced the plans, said: “Over the last few years we have seen an increase in demand for transgender health services in Wales.

“As part of our commitment to improve health and wellbeing for all, we have invested £500,000 annually to improve gender identity services in Wales.

“Today’s announcement is a positive step towards the fully integrated service I expect to be in place next year. A specialist team in Wales will reduce both the distance of travel and, over time, the waiting-times people in Wales currently experience.”

Patients in the Cardiff and Vale area who have experienced difficulty in accessing medication recommended by the London clinic will be able to get their prescription through a specialist GP.

It is hoped this will help Cardiff patients waiting for hormone replacement.

Alex Jones, 20, was born female but came out as transgender at 15 and said plans to offer more services in Cardiff will have a positive impact on the transgender community.

“I think it’s going to help not just people in Cardiff, but the whole of Wales,” said Alex, an active LGBT+ campaigner.

“It will mean more people will be able to access treatment. I’ve had appointments at the London clinic before, and say I have an hour appointment, I will still have to travel four or five hours to get there and then back.

“It will mean more people will be able to get treatment because there would be no extra cost.”