The Health Minister announced that the Brackenburn Clinic will receive a significant investment.
Health Minister Mike Nesbitt (Image: Liam McBurney/PA Wire)
A funding boost to Northern Ireland’s Gender Identity Clinic has been cautiously welcomed by The Rainbow Project who are urging the Health Minister to undertake greater consultation with trans communities to guarantee top-quality care.
The Brackenburn Clinic, Northern Ireland’s adult Gender Identity Clinic, has been functioning with severely restricted capacity for the past seven years owing to staffing shortages and financial limitations.
In 2019, then-Minister Robin Swann established the Gender Identity Service Pathway Review Group to tackle the rapidly growing waiting lists.
The Department have yet to publicly reveal how much they have allocated to the service.
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’, commented: “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.
“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. While there is significant work to be done to ensure this new service is fit-for-purpose, meets the needs of trans communities, and follows international best practice, this news will offer hope to those who have been waiting years for care.”
Under community pressure, the 2019 Review created a ‘Service User Input Panel’ enabling transgender individuals and their families to contribute their perspectives.
The Review wrapped up earlier this year after collaborating with the Trust and Department on a business case and securing commitments that recruitment for a new ‘Regional Lifespan Gender Service’ would commence in the coming months.
Scott Cuthbertson, chief executive of The Rainbow Project, commented: “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 put forward their business case at the beginning of this year, receiving ministerial approval in late April, with funding allocation confirmed in July to tackle the gender affirming healthcare waiting list.
More than 1000 patients are currently on the list, with some having waited over seven and a half years for an initial appointment.
By expanding adult endocrine capacity and staffing the new ‘Regional Lifespan Gender Service’, there is optimism that current patients will receive care more quickly, whilst new patients won’t face such prolonged delays.
Leo Lardie, Co-Chair of the Review’s ‘Service User Input Panel’, commented: “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.
“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.”
The Department of Health have been approached for comment.
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