“Any guidance issued needs to be clear that they are referring to biological sex and it needs to be followed up by legislation which cannot be ignored by NHS trusts.” Lord Blencathra told the Telegraph: “The response from Lord Markham is 100 miles away from the replies that we were receiving from the Department of Health on these issues a year ago and shows that ministers are moving in the direction of offering proper protection to biological women. The letter also suggested that the trust does not require clinicians to disclose their sex. It detailed a letter sent by the chief executive of North Bristol NHS Trust which said the hospital was unable to guarantee patients will receive treatment by a clinician of the same sex if requested. That report, released in January, warned that the NHS is increasingly “compromised” by an ideology “which disregards the realities and immutability of biological sex” and “that is diminishing the rights of women and girls”. He said that the Government “noted” the Policy Exchange report on gender identity ideology in the NHS and is considering whether trusts need guidance on the importance of same-sex care. Due to staff availability, there may be instances when these requests cannot be immediately or easily met.” Lord Markham added: “Patients can request same-sex intimate care, and it will be up to the care provider or clinician to respond based on the patient’s needs and staff availability. The minister said that the NHS is reviewing its current guidance on delivering same-sex accommodation. Patients should not have to share sleeping accommodation with others of the opposite sex and should have access to segregated bathroom and toilet facilities.” In response, Lord Markham wrote: “It is imperative that NHS trusts respect the privacy and dignity of patients. Lord Blencathra, a Tory peer and former minister, asked the Department of Health “what steps they are taking to ensure that every hospital trust is able to guarantee same-sex accommodation and intimate same-sex care”. His comments came after a Policy Exchange report warned that NHS trusts were compromising women’s rights by providing same-sex intimate care based not on a staff member’s biological sex, but their self-declared gender identity.Ĭoncerns have also been raised about the NHS England policy which states that trans patients can be placed on single-sex wards on the basis of the gender which they identify as.Ĭampaigners on Wednesday welcomed Lord Markham’s comments, but cautioned that the “British public has been fooled into thinking the NHS is trying to eliminate mixed-sex accommodation” when in reality “any male can self-identify onto a women’s ward”. Lord Markham, a health minister, has said that the Government is “considering whether clearer guidance is needed on the provision of same-sex staffing for patients receiving intimate care, given the importance of ensuring that patients’ privacy and dignity is respected”. Hospitals are set to be told they must guarantee single-sex care amid a row over hospitals allowing transgender NHS staff to treat patients based on their gender identity.
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