NHS clinic waiting times, an informal poll

[Padma]

Hi, I'm curious (with a side order of anxious) to see what the average waiting times are that people in the UK have experienced between getting referred by an NHS psychiatrist, and getting their first visit to the Gender Identity Clinic (e.g. Charing X).

I thought this might be useful not just to satisfy my own curiosity(!) but for others visiting here to get a rough idea how long it can take, depending where you are in the country.

So if you're willing, please say:

i) how long it took between referral and walking through the clinic door
ii) which part of the country you're in (or were at the time)
iii) which clinic you got referred to

Thanks .

[sparkles]

It was coming up to 2 years for my referal and that was only due to the governments 18 week waiting target coming in and them speeding things up hopefully that should still be going if not it will probably slip back I'm up north and go to porterbrook hope that helps

[Seras]

Went to see the GP in February or something like that and got referred.

So far all I have is a letter saying they need to speak to the local money people and get it approved.

[Keroppi]

You're going to hate me. Please don't shoot the messenger!

From what I can gather, Nottingham Gender Clinic received a huge funding boost this year so....

Saw the GP on the 5th to ask for a referral, got an appointment letter dated the 12th, for the actual first appointment on the 31st all in the same month. It took longer for me to get an appointment to see my GP initially.... (I live in a neighbouring county so I don't know if they have existing or general funding agreement in place or the funding decision is generally this quick. Also, they specifically state funding for potential surgery will need to be applied for separately through local PCT when the time come.)

Now of course, that's just the speed of the 1st appointment. 2nd appointment is 3 months after 1st, then 3rd (or more if required) appointment is 2 or 3 months after that, and sometime after that they decide on a patient case before finally telling your GP to prescribe HRT (maybe).

[Nemo]

I live in Leeds, and just so happen to have hit the jackpot regarding healthcare. Apparently Leeds were one of the worst for waiting times, but thanks to that 18 week deadline coming in, that's about how long it took between psychiatrist and GIC. Leeds has its own at Seacroft, so that's where I've been going.

Bear in mind however, that once you're in, you'll have an assessment period to go through before they'll decide whether or not to diagnose you (meaning you get referred to an endo for HRT, etc.). If it's anything like mine, the average is about 6 sessions (a month apart at Seacroft), although in special circumstances they may be willing to squeeze you down to about 4.

Whereabouts are you, just out of interest? Are you being referred to CX?

[Padma]

Thanks for the info, it's an interesting spread!

I've recently moved to Devon, and completely by coincidence I now live 20 minutes' train ride from the nearest GIC, which is The Laurels, in Exeter. I've got my psychiatric assessment this afternoon (eek), so we shall see what we shall see...

I'm doing some mental juggling over all this - I started seeing a psychiatrist privately 3 months ago, because moving to Devon was taking longer than expected, and I wanted some expert input into what I was going through without having to wait until I had a new GP etc. before getting into the local system. If I go and see that psychiatrist again in July, he said that he may be happy to recommend me for HRT by then on a "shared care" basis with my GP, who is very supportive and said she'd be happy to comply with that. If this happens, then I'm content to start HRT and wait for my GIC appointment to appear - and then deal with however the clinic responds to me already being on HRT when I turn up on their doorstep .

The mental juggling is over the cost of doing this part privately (the psychiatrist plus the train fare to London is quite hefty) weighed up against the emotional cost of having to wait perhaps at least another year before I've got through the GIC's doors and they get around to referring me for HRT. I'm an "unusual case", because I don't present as very feminine and am not particularly inclined to (if I were a film, I'd be called Tomboy, Interrupted ) - for me, it's all about the anatomy - so the clinic may want to drag its heels over diagnosing me, but the psychiatrist I've been seeing is a lot more open-minded about there being many different kinds of woman to be - he just wanted to see me more settled in my new situation first, and to have more time to get to know me.

[Padma]

The psychiatric assessment was almost hilariously perfunctory. 15 minutes, a few questions, then he's happy that I'm not "exhibiting co-morbid mental health issues" and that I feel I'd "be more comfortable as a woman" (his words!) and so is referring me to the GID. The trainee psych was cute .

I'm going to see the private psychiatrist as well next month, to keep my options open.

[Nemo]

Yay! Hard-ish part over Well, not that it sounded that hard, but anyway...

About the private/NHS combo - my story's not as clear cut as you may think. Due to health problems with my ovaries, I needed a diagnosis quicker than the NHS could give, so I saw Dr Curtis in London for a few months, and got on HRT that way. By the time I had my hysto, I'd been on T for four months. I'd cancelled the original appointment at Seacroft 'cause I was seeing Curtis at the time, but at my last appointment I mentioned surgery, which I couldn't afford privately. His advice was to go the NHS route if I needed them to pay for it - and since I could no longer afford him either, I went there for more than one reason in the end.

Second time around, I got the appointment again after about three to four months. They asked for another referral from the GP and another copy of the psychiatrist's letter, I also sent all the other paperwork that I sent Curtis re. living FT. By the time I went to Seacroft, I'd been on T for over six months, ticked most if not all the boxes regarding HRT requirements, diagnosis criteria and even threshold for arranging top surgery... yet I *still* have to go through the initial assessment first. At least with me they hope to condense it into three or four appointments, but still..