NHS Lothian decision to stop 18-24 year olds being referred for gender affirming surgery from Chalmers Gender Identity Clinic

We’ve recently been made aware that Chalmers NHS Gender Identity Clinic in Edinburgh has stopped referring all 18-24 year olds for gender affirming surgeries.

If you live in Lothian, Fife or the Borders, we need your help to find out why, and to try and reverse this decision.

It’s really unclear why this decision has been made, and who exactly has made it. From what we do know, this is a decision that has been taken by NHS Lothian health board, not by the clinicians at Chalmers.

An FAQ has now been posted on the Chalmers website (8^th November). It says:

“Q: Is this review the result of the Cass Report?

A: No, it is the result of the response to the report in Scotland, Cass Review – Implications for Scotland, which was issued by the Deputy Chief Medical Officer.”

https://www.lothiansexualhealth.scot/gender-identity-clinic/gic-faqs/

But on Tuesday 29^th October, the Scottish Parliament’s Health, Social Care and Sport Committee heard directly from the Chief Medical Officer and the Deputy Chief Medical Officer that neither the Cass Report, nor the Chief Medical Officer’s response to it recommend any changes to the care that is available to 18-24 year olds in adult services.

We’re extremely concerned that this means that 18-24 year olds who live within the NHS Lothian, NHS Fife and NHS Borders health boards are facing an indefinite ban on their access to surgery, based on a misunderstanding.

Email your MSPs

We’ve written to the senior leadership of NHS Lothian, and East Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership (who are responsible for Chalmers) to try and understand more about why this is happening.

But the more information we have, the more likely we are to be able to get the decision reversed. Which is why we need your help if you live in Lothian, Fife or the Borders.

If you are directly affected by this change (18-24, on the waiting list for Chalmers or currently being seen by Chalmers, and at least considering any gender affirming surgery) click here to email your MSP(s) to ask for their support in finding out why Chalmers has placed restrictions on the care you can access.

If you’re not directly affected, but are either a trans person or an ally who lives in any of the health boards that refer to Chalmers (NHS Lothian, NHS Fife or NHS Borders) click here to email your MSP(s) to ask them to try and find out what’s going on.

Previous pause on referrals for people 25 and over

We’re aware that for a period of time, Chalmers paused referrals for all patients for gender affirming surgeries that happen in England (masculinising top surgery, vaginoplasty, phalloplasty/metoidioplasty).

From what we understand, this was a decision taken separately by NHS Lothian, and was because they believed that there was not the correct clinical governance in place for these referrals. This was the case between May-October 2024, but people 25 and over should now be able to be assessed and referred for these surgeries again.

Please urgently get in touch with us at info@scottishtrans.org if you are 25 and over and have been told since November 1st that you can’t be referred for surgery that takes place in England.

30 Bernard Street
Edinburgh EH6 6PR

Scottish Trans is part of the Equality Network