Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support the NHS commissions for people awaiting assessment at Gender Identity Clinics; and what safeguarding arrangements apply to these patients.

Local National Health Service trusts, commissioned by integrated care boards, will have the necessary skills, experience, and competence to meet the needs of individuals who are on the waiting list for gender dysphoria services and who have other health needs. Additionally, the NHS adult Gender Dysphoria Clinics may provide their own forms support, commissioned by NHS England, such as Peer Support Workers, Gender Outreach Workers, and Pre Assessment Workshops. From May 2026, NHS England will establish a single national waiting list, alongside which will be an enhanced 'waiting well' support offer.

Further to this, the Department has commissioned a pilot, delivered by the LGBT Foundation and Gendered Intelligence, to support patients on the waiting list for the adult Gender Dysphoria Clinic in the South West of England. This pilot will be evaluated and, subject to positive evaluation, may be rolled out nationally.