Quote from: crowcrow223 on July 23, 2014, 10:58:26 AM
Thank You for the response. if I sign the petition, will my name be displayed in any way? x

No, only the number of signatures is displayed to the general public I believe  Hun x

Very helpful website to look at: http://www.beaumontsociety.org.uk/nhs-publications/

Make sure you check out Guidance for GPs other clinicians on the care of Gender variant People and NHS Funding processes and waiting times for adult users

It kind of made me realise I can try and get certain procedures through my GP. What might help is printing http://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/int-gend-proto.pdf this out, which lists out certain procedures are mandatory and necessary, and maybe this one as well: http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/files/pdfversion/CR181.pdf

Make sure you have a look at the beaumont society website as it lists details how to speed things up a bit

good luck!

Quote from: crowcrow223 on July 26, 2014, 09:15:38 AM
Very helpful website to look at: http://www.beaumontsociety.org.uk/nhs-publications/

Make sure you check out Guidance for GPs other clinicians on the care of Gender variant People and NHS Funding processes and waiting times for adult users

It kind of made me realise I can try and get certain procedures through my GP. What might help is printing http://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/int-gend-proto.pdf this out, which lists out certain procedures are mandatory and necessary, and maybe this one as well: http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/files/pdfversion/CR181.pdf

Make sure you have a look at the beaumont society website as it lists details how to speed things up a bit

good luck!

Great info crowcrow! Thank you! I am really glad people are sharing links that are useful for everyone and I hope this becomes a resourceful thread for many who seek some guidance through the NHS transition process.

Beware, 1 or 2 of those from the Beaumont society ar now outdated, particularly the one that outlines the NHS processes and waiting times, as PCT's have been abolished and funding for these procedures is a countrywide thing rather than just the PCT's to each area of the country as they used to be, still funding is equally available for the things described in them, if anything it should be more readily available! the one with the guidelines for 2013/14 is the one that can be a true gem for some and it is the one that introduced the current new standard which allows GP's to administer HRT treatment while a person is on the waiting list to a GIC.

Thanks for clearing things up, I knew there was something wrong as the link did not work! So no more postcode lottery? Fair enough

If any of you manage to get any progress, let us know in this topic. I have to first print out this gianormous thing out

Hey just FYI ladies, I have a friend ,someone I recently got in touch with due to the fact that she was on one of the waiting lists I'm in as well, her first appointment came up and she even mentioned about hopefully starting a thread in here so those of us who are in waiting lists can have some info and some light at the end of the tunnel, anyhow, she got her first appointment which apparently was an assessment, a generic type of first appointment type thing then a few weeks later she had her second appointment in which it gets decided If she gets accepted into the pathway, she was accepted of course, and they even gave her a tentative date for her surgery. Now this girl I'm mentioning had been under private care while waiting for the GIC to finally take over. So she was well on her way hormonally and RLE and presentation wise, etc when she got seen at the clinic. She did say that for the bad rep some people online give GIC's that she felt they were very nice and caring.

I will not discuss much more of her experience in detail as it is hers to share or not share but I did want to shed some light in the issue and bring forward the fact that things do seem to go ok for some people, she did mention that there seem to be others there who, could have a lot of work ahead transitioning and some who probably need slightly closer monitoring and for a longer period of time before they can be accepted into the pathway, but overall they are fair and allow girls who are certain of their need to transition and have a clear need for it and seem stable minded to go ahead without problems.

I hope this helps, it gives me a lot of hope and it lit up a little more of this tunnel for me. Let's hope that the NHS guidelines this year come forward with some way of helping move waiting lists along a little faster to stop the growing backlog.

thanks Cali, it was helpful!

I just got a letter from the West London Mental Health NHS Trust, I think it's like the head of all GICs in the UK, and they're offering me a workshop. What exactly is that?

I am not sure if I fully understood the letter they've sent me but the first paragraph reads "we are aware you've been waiting a considerable amount of time for an appointment, we'd like to apologise {...)"
But I've already had my first appointment, about a month ago. They must have missed this fact then.

It further says that they want to offer me an appointment, but in the mean time they want to offer me the opportunity to attend a registration workshop at their clinic. Appointments, thereafter, will be offered on the basis of when we received your referral.

Hmm, but they already got it I think? Since I've already seen my gender therapist and things are moving forward.

Is it just a silly mistake or am I missing sth?

Thanks a lot for any input, much appreciated, xx

 It isn't the head of GIC's but it is the biggest GIC in the country and the one where most patients from other GIC's in the country go to, for GRS, and probably the longest standing a GIC with the most experience. (How many times can I say GIC in one paragraph? Lol)

In your position I would go ahead and give them a call and also attend the workshop, sometimes we have to do things that may seem unnecessary to get the necessary attention if your schedule allows, the more they see your face around and you become memorable the more they will take care of you and the less excuses they have to have confusions regarding anything with you.

I myself gave Nottigham GIC a call last Thursday, and I was told that I am in their waiting list. They simply don't send any welcome letters or letters of aknowledgement of referral, they just send you an appointment letter a month before your appointment, but I wouldn't have known that if I wouldn't have given them a phone call. If nothing else I am apeaced "for now".

Here is something I am assuming could have something to do with the confusion, have you been accepted into the care pathway already? Or are you still going through assessment ? Call them Hun and ask how come the letter you received mentions about your first appointment but you have already been seen, can they clarify this for you or update the records in their system?

Let us know how that goes x

The "workshop" at WLMHT (Charing x) is a new thing where they invite you down to explain the process and answer any questions about transitioning at their GIC.

I never did this, but a friend of mine did it a few weeks ago

Good points Cali, thanks! I'll give them a call, hopefully I won't be put on hold for too long

Aaggat, can You please ask your friend about how did she/he like it and what did she/he do there?

I live quite far from London tbh, and I got pretty much all I wanted from my gender therapist, the rest of what I requested has to go through the panel, which I presume GIC London got nothing to do with as it's more of a local thing, each region got their own panel

She said

" ..... basically went through the welcome pack and invited questions. We also did the initial health checks and did the form filling that is done at the first visit. From my perspective the first assessment is a bit less daunting because I've seen the place and found my way around Fulham Palace Road."

Has anyone has any success in getting seen by Bellringer in Parkside since he resigned from CX? He's the surgeon I've been able to do the most research on and while I don't doubt the other surgeons every bit as good as he it's just a lot more reassuring when you have a much of research to back up your surgeon choice.

Quote from: Nurse With Wound on August 10, 2014, 06:13:52 PM
Has anyone has any success in getting seen by Bellringer in Parkside since he resigned from CX? He's the surgeon I've been able to do the most research on and while I don't doubt the other surgeons every bit as good as he it's just a lot more reassuring when you have a much of research to back up your surgeon choice.

As far as I know, the only ones who have been able to be seen by Bellringer at Parkside were the patients that already had a date for surgery with him. Then they received a letter to let them know he wasn't at Charing Cross and offering them the choice to stick with him and go to Parkside or to change to Phil Thomas at Charing Cross.

As far as I am aware Tina Rashid is still under training for purposes of making her aware of how things work at Charing Cross as her surgery skills obviously are up to par. She is still working closely under the mentorship of Phil Thomas. She will start surgeries all by herself in September/2014 (next month) at a once a week rate. Then in October she will bump that up to two surgeries a week.


Regarding your research on James Bellringer it may be of some consolation to you that Tina Rashid was also trained by Bellringer and not only Phil Thomas, and the 3 of them use the same technique as far as I'm aware.

Hopefully someone who has actually been to see Belllringer at Parkside can enlighten us still though.

Carly x

Quote from: calicarly on August 11, 2014, 04:45:30 PM
As far as I know, the only ones who have been able to be seen by Bellringer at Parkside were the patients that already had a date for surgery with him.

That's how it seems to be playing out to me yeah.

On a related note, this might be a bit crude but does anyone know of somewhere I can find images of the results from Thomas recently and that have healed? Since the few images I have found are either a decade old or not healed. It would be very helpful for me to solidify a choice.

Quote from: Nurse With Wound on August 12, 2014, 05:06:23 PM
That's how it seems to be playing out to me yeah.

On a related note, this might be a bit crude but does anyone know of somewhere I can find images of the results from Thomas recently and that have healed? Since the few images I have found are either a decade old or not healed. It would be very helpful for me to solidify a choice.

It sounds to me like you are planning to go private, if so, I'm sure if you email James Bellringer's team directly that they could supply you with some pictures of results. The problem with the GRS pictures is that most girls aren't willing to share and most post ops from Doctors are still not completely healed. But I would say that would be your safest bet p, to contact surgeons offices directly by email or even a phone call.

C x

The answer will inevitably include something along the line of "everyone's result will be different and depends on your body". What they can give you is a general idea of "it'll look more like this than like that".

I finally have received my long awaited for 1st appointment at the GIC, I am very excited as this will help me see the light at the end of the tunnel for me.

And as a general update,  Charing Cross has made public their intention to open up a new full time position for a new surgeon at their hospital for GRS surgeries, yes this on top of the already new allocated Dr. Tina Rashid, this is finally their way of saying they think the new annual /yearly referrals have finally grown enough for there to be 2 full time surgeons performing surgeries at Charing cross, plus the other Drs that serve part time or are referred to through the NHS in the private sector.

Current referrals to GIC's around the country totals at 1500 patients a year, of these, only a fifth translates to actual gender reassignment surgeries. / 300.