This story was first published in digitalhealth.net
Transgender patients wait up to 18 months for consultation
Transgender people face waiting times of up to 18 months of an initial consultation with a specialist, according to a report from the BBC.
This is significantly longer than NHS guidelines that say an initial appointment for hormone therapy and surgery should be within 18 weeks.
A report from the House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee found that the demand for gender identity clinics is rising by 25-30 per cent each year, and has forecast that waiting times for physical surgery could be as long as three and half years by 2017.
There are currently around 4,500 referrals to gender identity clinics a year, and the delays for patients is reportedly due to a shortage of qualified staff
Additional funding of £4 million has been put into these services, and NHS England has said it aims to bring waiting times down to below 18 weeks by 2018.
Will Huxter, chairman of NHS England's Gender Identity Task and Finish Group, said: "As with other specialised services, the number of gender identify centres around the country is limited primarily due to the shortage of suitably qualified and experienced staff.
"However, we want to ensure that people are able to access services in a timely way wherever they live. We recognise the urgent need to bring down waiting times, and to this end we have met with all the gender identity clinics to agree plans to increase capacity from April 2016."
Jenny Anne Bishop, of the Manchester-based TransForum help group, said: "We have the gender identity clinics, they're great for people who are struggling or who are not sure who they are.
"But, for the average person who knows exactly who they are and where they want to go, we just need a doctor with specialist knowledge.
"When the diagnosis is done the person could be referred for treatment and just get on with their lives."
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