Amusing advice re NHS and gender changes

[Padma]

My gender clinic doc just told me the folliwing. Apparently, it's pretty straightforward to get the NHS to change your gender in their records. You just write to your GP, and they do the rest. But...

First the NHS issues you with a new NHS number, and then apparently their system automatically deletes all your old records - and then someone has to go into the system to retrieve them. This can take up to a month to sort out, so don't set it in motion when you're about to need your medical records!

Systems are wonderful things.

[suzifrommd]

First the NHS issues you with a new NHS number, and then apparently their system automatically deletes all your old records - and then someone has to go into the system to retrieve them. This can take up to a month to sort out, so don't set it in motion when you're about to need your medical records!

Systems are wonderful things.

Actually the system isn't the problem. Some undereducated software engineer didn't foresee the need to change a gender and so set up the system so the gender couldn't be changed without deleting the entire entry.

Probably would have been really simple to set it up to allow a gender change if the software engineer had just realized that might happen.

Just a self-serving opportunity to highlight the importance of my profession. I teach software engineering

[Padma]

Well, it's still the software system that's at fault .

[Jeatyn]

This didn't happen when I changed my name and gender marker so I'm confused.

I still have the same NHS number and all my records are still there.

[Padma]

...then so am I! Maybe it depends which PCT you're under and how incompetent they are? How long ago did you make the change?

[Jeatyn]

I think it's almost 4 years now. Pretty much as soon as I came out and got my name changed I just asked them to switch it over and they did there and then.

[Padma]

Maybe this is a more recent development then, a misguided attempt at trans privacy. Oh well, I'm going to wait until I've got my next sick note issued before asking them to change it, just in case. They're already halfway there, which is confusing - I get personal letters addressed to Ms, but my prescriptions say Mr.