Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on the service provided to Welsh patients at the gender identity cinic, and explain whether it is acceptable that some are receiving letters from consultants at the clinic transcribed almost two months after dictation?
The Welsh Health Specialised Services Committee (WHSSC) is responsible for the planning of specialised services on behalf of local health boards, this includes gender identity services. The aim of WHSSC is to ensure the population of Wales has fair and equitable access to the full range of specialist services.
My officials have contacted WHSSC who have confirmed that there is currently a delay in issuing letters due to the volume of patients being seen at the London Gender Identity Clinic and additional specialist administration staff have been recruited with the aim of reducing these delays.
In response to the increasing number of individuals requiring gender identity services, I have committed to improve gender identity services in Wales and we are providing additional funding to support these improvements.