Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what form of risk assessment was carried out by (1) Public Health England, and (2) other NHS bodies, before (a) implementing a system of recording patients by their chosen gender identity rather than their biological sex, and (b) deciding to create a new stand-alone NHS record for those patients who choose to change their recorded gender identity.

No record of a formal risk assessment is held, either on the mandatory introduction of National Health Service numbers in 1997 or following the introduction of the Gender Recognition Act in 2004.

When a patient changes gender, they are given a new NHS number. When a patient informs their general practice that they wish to change gender, the practice must inform the patient that this will involve a new NHS number being issued, which is not reversible.

If a patient is issued with a new NHS number, they will not automatically be recalled for certain sex-specific screening programmes. The online only guidance ‘NHS population screening: information for trans and non-binary people’ provides advice to transgender and non-binary people in England on the NHS screening programmes available in England and the processes for inviting people to screening.