Source: dailymail.co.uk<\/p>\n
The\u00a0NHS\u00a0will let transgender patients choose whether to be treated on male or female wards, even if they haven’t had gender reassignment surgery.<\/p>\n
Patients will be accommodated based on how they look, the way they dress and what name they go by, according to new NHS England guidelines.<\/p>\n
This means they will share toilet and bathing facilities on single-sex wards.\u00a0<\/p>\n
NHS England said that having ‘different genital or breast sex appearance’ is not a reason for denying patients a space on the wards.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But the document, titled Delivering Same-Sex Accomodation, did specify that ‘pre-operative trans people should not share open shower facilities’<\/p>\n
Non-binary patients – who identify as neither male or female – will be ‘asked discreetly about their preferences’ and given the choice of either a male or female ward.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It added that ‘trans men and non-binary individuals can become pregnant and should be treated with dignity while using maternity services’.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The guidance concludes: ‘Good practice requires that clinical responses be patient-centred, respectful and flexible towards all transgender people whether they live continuously or temporarily in a gender role that does not conform to their natal sex.’<\/p>\n
The new guidelines have been met with mixed reaction, with trans rights groups hailing the move and critics branding it ‘shocking’ for the privacy of others.<\/p>\n
Dr Jane Hamlin, president of The Beaumont Society, a transgender support group, told\u00a0The Telegraph\u00a0the policy had been\u00a0‘clearly been thought through very carefully and is sensible and encouraging’.<\/p>\n
Tory MP for Monmouth, David Davies, said the move ‘drives a wrecking ball through those hard fought for rights’.<\/p>\n
He told the paper:\u00a0‘It means people who are physically male will be placed in women’s hospital wards.<\/p>\n
‘Nobody wants to see transgender patients discriminated against or treated badly in any way.<\/p>\n
‘But placing people who are physically male in close proximity to vulnerable women who may be facing intimate medical procedures is not fair.’<\/p>\n
Dr Nicola Williams of Fair Play For Women campaign group told the paper it was ‘shocking’ and means that women’s ‘privacy and dignity goes out the window’.\u00a0<\/p>\n
An NHS spokesman said: ‘The NHS is here to provide all patients with the excellent physical and mental health treatment they need and to support them while they are in our care.<\/p>\n
‘The revised document on “delivering same-sex accommodation” provides clear and considerate guidance for NHS staff so they can prioritise the safety, privacy and dignity of all patients.’<\/p>\n
A Department of Health and Social spokesperson said: ‘We’re working closely with the NHS to consider the findings of the review.’\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
It comes just over a month after MailOnline reported health chiefs were reviewing a service which gives transgender children drugs to pause puberty.\u00a0<\/p>\n
NHS\u00a0England said it was investigating issues around hormone-blocking drugs prescribed to under-18s to \u2018pause\u2019 their adolescence and prevent changes to the body like breasts or facial hair.<\/p>\n
Children as young as 10 are being referred for hormone-blocking drugs, despite concerns they could cause emotional problems and long-term effects on the brain and body which are not yet known.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2047,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[394,55,2005,166,686],"class_list":["post-2046","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sex-reassignment","tag-gender","tag-patients","tag-sex-reassignment-sex-reassignment","tag-surgery","tag-transgenders"],"yoast_head":"\n