Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the current waiting time for NHS patients to receive (1) an assessment, and (2) treatment, in relation to gender identity services; what was the maximum waiting time for such treatment before the COVID-19 pandemic; whether the current waiting time has decreased in the last three months; and what steps they are taking to clear the backlog of those waiting for treatment.

We currently do not routinely collect data on the number of patients waiting and maximum waiting times for gender identity clinics.

Data in October 2019, which informed the work programme aimed at improving access to gender services, showed there were more than 9,500 individuals waiting for a first appointment. Of this, approximately 3,400 individuals had been waiting between 52 and 103 weeks; and circa 2,100 individuals had been waiting for over two years. The median waiting time for a first appointment is more than two years for patients who were referred in October 2019.

To address this rise in demand, three new services have been established in Cheshire and Merseyside, Manchester and London. These services will be evaluated as pilots for a new delivery model, with planning underway for further services to be establish nationwide.