Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the provision of gender dysphoria clinics in the North East of England.

NHS England is committed to supporting people who need these specialist gender services and commissions three adult gender dysphoria clinics in Newcastle, Sheffield, and Leeds. While they are regionally commissioned to meet the demand of the local population, these services are accessed by patients from across the country and this has an impact on waiting times.

In some areas, general practices (GPs) are also supporting stabilised patients by prescribing their treatment locally with specialist support, ensuring the care and treatment needs of these individuals are met locally when appropriate.

NHS England has now completed its review of adult gender services, which looked at how to overcome the challenges that some individuals continue to face in accessing services in a timely manner. The review includes 20 recommendations and NHS England, in full partnership with regions and the Department, will now lead the next stage of the system-wide response.

A National Portfolio Board is being established to build and develop a full implementation plan, which will address each of the recommendations in turn and be aligned with the ambitions of the Government’s 10-Year Health Plan for England, which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/10-year-health-plan-for-england

Immediate priorities include working with professional bodies to establish a new professional role of GP with an Extended Role in Gender Medicine, to provide support to those who have completed their care within the adult gender service clinics and to provide leadership and knowledge sharing with primary care in every neighbourhood.