The waitlist in the city currently sits at 4,098 people waiting to have their first appointment at the Sandyford Clinic<\/p>\n
A recent investigation by outlet QueerAF found that trans people in Glasgow have an estimated 224 year wait <\/a>for their first appointment at the Sandyford Clinic in the West End of the city.\u00a0<\/p>\n In a report published by QueerAF in October, the publisher found that the waitlist in Glasgow is significantly higher than clinics in the rest of the UK, with the second two highest wait times being Belfast at 41 years, and Exeter at 31 years estimated wait time.\u00a0<\/p>\n Speaking to The Herald about the announcement, Scottish Greens councillor Holly Bruce said the huge delays would \u201ccost lives\u201d<\/a> and asked what action is being done to reduce the length of time.<\/p>\n At a Glasgow City Council meeting, Bruce said \u201cWithout drastic action most people on this list will never be seen and this is of great concern. I cannot express to this chamber enough how much this will cost lives.\u201d<\/p>\n However, QueerAF\u2019s reported 224 year waitlist has been disputed by SNP Councillor Chris Cunningham, who also sits on the Council as the City Convener for Health, Care & Caring and Older People.\u00a0<\/p>\n In response to the report, Cunningham said <\/a>\u201cThe Sandyford clinic\u2019s own website shows waiting times of around seven years for adult gender services and six years for young people\u2019s services.<\/p>\n \u201cSix and seven years is far too long and both I and the Health and Social Care Partnership are committed to reducing these waiting times but to state the obvious these figures are a long way from the 224 years mentioned in the question.\u201d<\/p>\n The Sandyford Clinic is one of four gender identity clinics across Scotland, and is the only clinic to offer support for those under the age of eighteen<\/a>. As a result, Glasgow\u2019s Sandyford clinic has seen unprecedented demand in the area, as it covers around 59% of the Scottish population.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n Currently, the Sandyford Clinic states that they are allocating appointments to those referred <\/a>between November 2018 to November 2019, as of July 2025. In comparison, Edinburgh\u2019s \u2018Chalmers Centre\u2019 sexual health clinic states that they are currently contacting people who were referred up to August 2023.<\/a><\/p>\n QueerAF also highlights that trans+ healthcare in the UK is \u201ca postcode lottery\u201d<\/a>, with gender identity clinic wait times in Scotland facing an estimated average of 58 years, compared to 41 in Northern Ireland, 12 years in England, and two years in Wales.<\/p>\n