Danetre Hospital

Thank you for your comment. The length of time between a referral being made and a first appointment is (at a national level) far in excess of what we would wish it to be. There are many reasons for this, but ultimately it has become clear that the number of people being referred to gender clinics has seen a phenomenal increase since 2016 and there is no sign of this demand waning as yet. NHS England has acknowledged the imbalance between service demand and inadequate supply and has commissioned locally based 'Trans Health Hubs' (several of which are already operating across England), with a view to make gender services more readily accessible for those needing support.

Thank you for your kind words. We are aware of the anxiety caused by the waiting and are working with our commissioners to reduce this. Best wishes, Hugh Jones, Patient Experience Manager.

Thank you for your comments. With such lengthy waiting times for a first appointment in all Gender Clinics in England, we completely support and endorse that people should be able to access local support services within Primary and Secondary Care via their GP. Whilst we do not view gender variance as an illness, we are very aware that the delays in accessing support in transitioning creates great distress and can give rise to mental health issues. We are hopeful that NHS England's strategy of rolling out local 'Trans Health' support hubs over the next two years will go some way to reduce waiting times overall and supplement the existing wellbeing services provided via a patient's GP.

Thank you for your suggestion, which I have passed to the service manager for a fuller response. Best wishes, Hugh Jones, Patient Experience Manager