Northern Ireland LGBTQ+ charity cautiously welcomes 'overdue' trans healthcare investment
After years of limited funding, a Northern Irish Gender Identity Clinic has received a dose of investment. But The Rainbow Project cautions that more still needs to be done to improve trans healthcare
A new injection of funding into Northern Ireland’s Gender Identity Clinic has been cautiously welcomed by a leading LGBTQ+ charity The Rainbow Project. However the charity urges the Health Minister Mike Nesbitt that further engagement is needed with trans communities to ensure high quality care.
The Brackenburn Clinic, based in Belfast, had been functioning under a limited capacity for the past seven years, largely due to issues related to staffing and lack of funding. To help address this, then-Minister Robin Swann set up the Gender Identity Service Pathway Review Group in 2019. Under community pressure, the Review established a 'Service User Input Panel' for transgender people and their families to have their voices heard.
The Review wrapped up earlier this year, after working with the Trust and Department on a business case and receiving assurances that recruitment for a new ‘Regional Lifespan Gender Service’ would begin over the coming months.
Alexa Moore, Policy Campaigns and Communications Manager at The Rainbow Project and Co-Chair of the Gender Identity Service Review’s ‘Service User Input Panel’, said: "We welcome that, amidst a sea of difficult news, trans people here will once again have hope that they may access the basic care which can help them live their lives as themselves."
She added: “The collapse of this service around 2018 has caused untold harm within our community and has resulted in a generation of trans young people who have had little to no access to healthcare they haven't funded themselves.”
However, despite the good news of the investment, she reiterated that significant work needs to be done to ensure the new service meets the needs of trans communities and follows international best practice.
Scott Cuthbertson, CEO of The Rainbow Project, said: "Gender affirming care allows trans people to live fully as themselves, which saves lives and improves health and wellbeing. This allocation of funding is long overdue and is the result of the hard work and campaigning from particularly trans people across Northern Ireland who have been forced to advocate for their own basic right to care. We are committed to continuing to work for a service that meets the needs of the trans communities it serves."
The Belfast Trust submitted their business case at the start of this year, which was approved by the Minister in late April, and in July the Trust received an allocation of funding to begin bringing down the waiting list for gender affirming healthcare.
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In many cases, these “spiralling” waiting lists have spanned multiple years. According to The Rainbow Project, some of the over 1000 patients on the list have been waiting for over seven and a half years for a first appointment.
However, it is hoped that through increasing adult endocrine capacity and staffing the new 'Regional Lifespan Gender Service', those currently waiting will be able to access care sooner. Equally, it’s aimed that new patients entering the service will not be left without care for such an extensive length of time.
Leo Lardie, Co-Chair of the Review’s ‘Service User Input Panel’, said: “This long-awaited investment is not just a win for our community, it’s a powerful testament to the resilience and determination of trans people across Northern Ireland. After years of struggle and stalled progress, this step forward is proof that trans voices can and do make change.
She added: “We at Rainbow celebrate this moment alongside every person who raised their voice, shared their story, and refused to give up. We will continue to stand proudly with trans people in the fight for fit-for-purpose, timely and accessible gender affirming care based on informed consent.”
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