Scottish Trans, a national trans equality and human rights project, has called on the Scottish Government and NHS health boards to take urgent action following the publication by Public Health Scotland of national data on waiting times for specialist gender identity services for the first time.
The data shows that the shortest average waiting time for a first appointment, at the Chalmers Clinic based in NHS Lothian, was still over 108 weeks. Gender identity services were brought into waiting times guidance at the end of December 2023, which states that there should be 18 weeks from referral to treatment – something that is clearly far from being realised.
Scottish Trans says the data shows that despite the introduction of a Scottish Government strategic action framework to improve these services in 2021, alongside £9 million funding, that this has not been enough to improve services and that far more has to be done.
The data shows long waiting times for all of the Gender Identity Clinics, but the Sandyford Clinic in Glasgow, which has an adult clinic serving around half of the Scottish population, and the only children and young people’s clinic in Scotland, were particularly shocking. 98% of people waiting over three years were waiting to be seen in Glasgow.
The data shows that last year, 88% of people who had a first appointment at the adult service in Glasgow had waited over five years for that appointment.
The Sandyford Clinic only saw 136 new adult patients in 2023 – 2024. This is 23% of all new appointments in adult services, despite providing services for 48% of the population.
The children and young people’s service only saw ten new patients across the whole year. There are 997 children and young people on the waiting list.
Vic Valentine, Manager of Scottish Trans, said: “We all deserve access to high quality, timely healthcare, that allows us to live happy and healthy lives. But that is simply not the reality for trans and non-binary people across Scotland.
“It’s really important to remember that this data is talking about real people’s lives. It’s almost impossible to imagine how distressing it must be for someone who has already been waiting five years for an appointment and may still not have a date in sight. We know that people waiting for an appointment often struggle with their mental health, self-esteem, and feel like they are “stuck”. Waits this long will make all that worse.
“Things have to be done differently if there is any hope of tackling these unbearable waits. The clinics that have made the biggest improvements are the ones that have recognised that not all gender identity healthcare needs to be delivered by psychologists and psychiatrists.
“This outdated approach is due to services being designed at a time when being trans was thought of as a mental illness – rather than trans people being a normal part of a diverse society. Far more healthcare for trans people should be delivered by skilled nurses, pharmacists, and GPs.
“We hope that health boards across the country will take the publication of today’s data on waiting times really seriously. While only four health boards host Gender Identity Clinics, trans and non-binary people live the length and breadth of Scotland. We need everyone to work together on improving gender identity services to give trans people a decent chance to live happy healthy lives.”