The new Welsh Gender Team will start seeing patients at the end of October, allowing transgender people to access the care they need closer to home.
Currently, all patients who present with gender dysphoria are referred to the London Gender Identity Clinic, where they are assessed and provided with a treatment plan.
Patients in the Cardiff and Vale area who have experienced difficulty in accessing the medicines that have been recommended for them by the London Clinic will be able to access their prescriptions via a specialist GP from next month. This development is targeted towards the area of most need, with most patients waiting for hormone replacement living in the Cardiff area.
Work is continuing with Health Boards and the General Practitioners Committee to develop a fully integrated gender identity service in Wales.
The Health Secretary 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.”
The All Wales Gender Identity Partnership Group has been actively involved in designing the new referral pathway for patients who present with gender dysphoria.
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