People affected by gender-affirming surgery referral pause deserve clarity and support

Ben Eaton, executive director of planning and delivery/deputy chief executive at Llais said: 

“In the past week, it has emerged that the Welsh Gender Service has paused scheduled and new referrals for gender-affirming surgeries. Like many of the people affected, Llais first became aware of this change when it was publicly announced. 

“We recognise that decisions affecting healthcare services can be made for a range of reasons, including concerns about quality, safety or governance. As Llais did not see the information that led to this immediate change before it happened, we are now engaging with the NHS Wales Joint Commissioning Committee (NWJCC) to understand the rationale behind it.  

“What we can say is that this decision has had a significant impact on people who have been waiting for treatment. Given that, we would have expected earlier engagement with Llais as the independent body that represents the views and experiences of people who use NHS Wales services. 

"Our immediate concern is for those people whose treatment plans have been affected and who are now facing uncertainty about what happens next. For many people, reaching this stage of their care has taken years. Understandably, the sudden pause in this service is likely to be causing considerable worry, frustration and distress. 

"People affected by this decision deserve clear information about why it has been made, how long it is expected to remain in place, what support is available to them in the meantime, and what is being done to minimise disruption to their care. 

"We are urgently seeking further information from the NWJCC to better understand the reasons for this decision and its impact on the people whose care and treatment has been affected. Our focus is on making sure that people’s experiences and concerns are properly heard by the committee and taken into account as discussions continue. 

“The NWJCC has today told us that it is working to put in place the patient safety, quality assurance and clinical governance arrangements needed to resume this service as soon as possible. We have also been told that, when the service resumes, people will be considered in the order they were on the surgery waiting list. 

“We have also been assured that this pause does not affect people who are progressing through a planned series of surgical procedures as part of their transition pathway. Nor does it affect people who require treatment for complications, or those who have already started a series of gender-affirming surgeries and need clinically necessary aftercare. 

“We encourage anyone whose care has been affected to get in touch and share their experience with us. Hearing directly from people affected will help us represent their views and make sure that decision-makers fully understand the real-world consequences of this change." 

Has your care been affected? 

If you have been affected by the pause to gender-affirming surgery referrals or procedures, we want to hear from you. 

You can tell us about your experience by completing our national survey, or by speaking directly with a member of your local Llais team. Whatever you choose, we're here to listen. 

Share your story online or contact your Llais local team to speak to a member of staff.