Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the average waiting time for gender identity clinics to the target of 18 weeks.

To address waiting times for gender identity clinics a new delivery model based in primary care services has have been developed. Four new pilot schemes have been opened under this model based in London, Cheshire and Merseyside, Greater Manchester and the East of England. A further clinic in Sussex is planned to open in 2022.

We forecast that the current four clinics will reduce the current waiting list by around a quarter by 2024.