NHS Waiting lists for top surgery and bottom surgery. When we heard that the BBC Victoria Derbyshire Show was reporting on the waiting lists for NHS Gender Identity Clinics (GIC) we sent an email out to our service users to ask for their experiences… The response was overwhelming. 

Clearly, Victoria Derbyshire couldn’t share everyone’s story, so we decided to collect some of the anonymous accounts from, those GenderGP patients who responded, and post them here. NHS waiting lists for top surgery are heavily affected. The words have not been changed and the cases all relate to the Charing Cross Gender Identity Clinic. Similar stories can be heard from people looking to access care via every GIC around the country…

 

I first visited my GP on the 23rd of February 2018, when she referred me to the GIC. It was approximately 7 months after when I was sent a letter from GIC asking me to fill out some paper word, which I did and sent it back.

Took them 8 months after that, May 2019, to write to me again, to invite me to a workshop information session. This session had a large number of people like myself (on the waiting list) gathering together to receive information on how the transition works. Although some of the information was useful, it was a bit of a waste of time to be honest, because our individual transitions were still on hold and the information given can be easily found online.

Only a few days ago, Friday 14th February, I received another letter from the GIC, excited to open it in the hope that it would be an appointment date, I was wrong. They were sending me a letter to tell me that I had to stop smoking. Although nothing wrong with the letter, I think this letter should have been sent to me after my referral was made and not almost two years later. I am nothing but disappointed with GIC, especially after this letter. I knew the waiting time would be long, hence why I decided to go private for my HRT and top surgery, but I can only imagine how individuals that are not able to go private must feel. It would be nice if the GIC communicated with their patients regarding the estimated waiting time and provided some supportive information regarding mental health options. I understand that they must be overwhelmed with the number of patients, but equally, they must look after each patient in a way or another. NHS waiting lists for top surgery are so long.

Dysphoria is not an easy thing to deal with, especially for those who have no options but to wait on the NHS waiting lists and I hope a change is coming very soon before more people suffer from this.

 

I’ve been on the NHS waiting list for about 2 years and haven’t had a single consultation yet.

I applied when I was entering college and am now half way through my 1st year of Uni 

 

I’ve been waiting for my first appointment for over two years.

I received a letter telling me that the waiting list was 14 months long and therefore I should expect an appointment in May 2019. I rang the GIC at the end of May as I hadn’t heard from them and was informed that due to staff leaving the waiting list was now 24 months long. That would mean I should have heard from them by now and I haven’t.

I think they’re fudging the statistics by inviting people to an information day. I attended this after waiting approximately 11 months. Consequently, it’s been over a year since I attended this information day!

 

I have been in the Charing Cross waiting list since March 2018.

 

I spoke to Charing Cross Gender Clinic in January to ask when I would likely be seen. I was informed it was not within 2 years. I V might be seen in 2020 but they could not confirm this.

 

I’ve been on the waiting list for Charing Cross since Oct 2017 and they told me my first appointment is likely to be at the end of this year!!!

I have given up and booked a private surgical consultation in March. In the time I have been waiting I have socially transitioned for over 2 years and been on Hormones for a year and a half yet I still have to wait for a first appointment to be assessed then 18 months till an appointment that they can do something then possibly another 18 months to a surgical appointment despite my writing to them to explain this, there is no flexibility in this one size fits all process, no pre-assessment to get people on the right path quickly based on their needs.

Something must change, this is intolerable.

 

Hi I’m currently with the CHX GIC
I applied in June 2017,
My first appointment (initial interview) was December 2019
My second appointment (gender dysphoria diagnosis) is currently booked in for March 2020

 

I’ve been waiting for a referral since September 2018.

 

We don’t have waiting lists

 

I was referred on 8th February 2018 to the Tavistock and Portman child and adolescent clinic aged just 16. the letter said they aimed for a first appointment within 18 weeks, but had a waiting list of 14 months.

I’m still waiting for even a first appointment date.

I’m now 18 and am too old for the kids clinic, so am now on the Charing Cross waiting list. it is expected according to them to be not any earlier than July 2020. then there’s a 12-18 months gap between appointments. When it comes to NHS waiting lists for top surgery, I feel like I’ll be waiting way too long. 

It is usual to get testosterone approved at second or third appointment, with takes me to at least July 2021 for hormone therapy. plus a surgery waiting list which they told would be around another year or two. therefore I’ve had to pay for private care with GenderGP, as my GP surgery won’t provide bridging hormones or shared care, and I wouldn’t have made it to 18 without started my correct puberty. I will also need to pay around £9000 for private surgery as I can’t wait as long as is needed for NHS. NHS waiting lists for top surgery are absurd. 

 

I was referred to Charing Cross GIC in July 2018 so have been on their waiting list for over 18 months.

 

I’ve been on the waiting list since my referral June 18.
I’m self medicating.

 

I am a Trans Woman and have been on their waiting list for 1.5 years already without any appointments.

I have been invited to what they describe as a “pre-first appointment workshop'” next week during which a handful of people on the waiting list will be told during a 6hour session what to bring to the first appointment and what help is available before their first proper appointments – This might explain the, disingenuous, massaging of their statistics to show ~1 year waiting times.

Upon being invited to this “pre-first appointment workshop” I phoned Charring Cross to check where I was in the queue, assuming this workshop meant I would be seen soon – I will be seen in approximately sometime in Q4 of 2020, however I was told they are behind schedule already so it was likely I would have my first proper appointment in early 2021.

I strongly believe the 1 year waiting time stated is a morally incorrect massaging of statistics.

 

I was referred to the Tavistock Gender Clinic in November 2018 and I have no contact from them to date

 

I have been waiting since October 2018 for my first appointment with the London Charring across GIC.

 

I have been on the waiting list at Charing Cross for 23 months, without having any help, information or a rough 1st appointment date sent to me by them.

 

I was added to the Tavistock waiting list in October 2018.

I have not had my initial appointment and was told 24 months. I called earlier this year to update some details and was told that I will not be seen this year.

This means that it will have been at least 27 months if I am seen, at the earliest, in Jan 2021

 

I had my first appointment with Charring Cross GIC last week, so am technically not on the waiting list anymore.

However, it seemed worth mentioning since I am currently 22, and was referred to Charring Cross when I was 17. I spent nearly five years waiting for that first appointment.

 

I’m on the waiting list for adult services at Tavistock and Portman. I’ve been waiting since August 2018, so about 1.5 years.

I’ve yet to receive any date for an initial appointment. I’m very surprised to hear that the GIC are claiming their waiting period is 1 year as I was advised by them when my referral went through that I should expect to wait 1.5 to 2 years.

 

If you are currently on a waiting list for a UK Gender Identity Clinic and are looking for medical or therapeutic support while you wait, you can contact us via our Help Centre and reach out.

We aim to support anyone who may need our services, so please don’t let your financial situation be a barrier to getting in touch with us.