We are aware that NHS England is implementing a change to how it records patient data, prioritising ‘sex observed at birth’ over gender and other medically-relevant data.
It is unclear why NHS England appear to be following the recommendations of a biased review of data practices with known ties to anti-trans lobby groups, or why such an important policy change was quietly rolled out with no consultation with patients whose data will be affected – but it is clear that this will lead to worse healthcare outcomes for trans people.
Due to previous experiences of transphobia and poor care in the NHS, many trans people already avoid visiting doctors and hospitals even while sick. This change will leave gaps in patient data that will lead to the further misdiagnosis and exclusions of trans patients, while leaving healthcare practitioners without the relevant and accurate information needed to provide good healthcare.
Doctors need access to medical data that enables them to deliver the best care possible – not data in the format demanded by gender critical activists.
A historical sex marker alone cannot be the basis for clinical decisions. It does not tell you if a patient needs a cervical or prostate screening, or give a full picture of a patient’s needs. The infiltration of politics into clinical settings is creating more barriers to accessing healthcare for the trans community, and leaving us all less safe as a result.
It remains unclear exactly what this change will mean in practice. We, too, have many questions.
TransActual will be reaching out to the Department of Health & Social Care and the new Health Secretary Yvette Cooper to raise those questions, and to urge her to listen to the concerns of the trans community before making the same mistakes as her predecessor.