Link to story

An NHS Trust is to cut funding to gender transition as part of a move to limit non-essential operations in the area.

Hounslow Primary Care Trust has announced that from April 2007, anyone seeking NHS support for medical services such as gender reassignment, tattoo removal, or breast enhancements will have to pay for it.

Oh... I'm sure that they will save "lots" of money by terminating care for TS people.  After all, they must be performing hundreds of surgeries a week, no?

Right.

Cindi

Quote from: LostInTime on January 01, 2007, 06:38:21 PM
Hounslow Primary Care Trust has announced that from April 2007, anyone seeking NHS support for medical services such as gender reassignment, tattoo removal, or breast enhancements will have to pay for it.

Basically what they are saying is "welcome to the real Trans world"

Quote from: Cindianna_JonesAfter all, they must be performing hundreds of surgeries a week, no?

I don't really know how this system works in the UK, but as far as I know, there is  an endless waiting list to get approved for some treatments, so no, I don't think they are performing hundreds of surgeries a week.

tinkerbell

Spot on Cindi, its going to save millions of pounds which can then be reinvested into people sitting in offices coming up with more ways to save money and creating red tape to stop people getting the treatment they need.  Honestly, the NHS just annoys me so much at times.  I can see the day when they will refuse to treat anyone at all for any condition as its costs money.  Pffft, just wait till I am prime minister, we wont have any of this messing around I can tell you !!

I cant see it being most popular operation they perform, obviously its not as common as ingrowing toenails and the like.  Question is though would someone be able to go out of the area they are in to get treatment somewhere else ? 

* wanders of mumbling under her breath *

Becky
xx

In Canada we have something similar to the NHS.  We have provincial health care systems that is federally funded, and provincially administered.  In Ontario it's called OHIP (Ontario Health Insurance Plan) and it guarantees universal access to health care in Ontario.  The problem is that provincial governments can list and de-list procedures that are covered by the plan.  A few years ago SRS was a listed procedure in Ontario until the conservatives took power then in their effort to save money they de-listed SRS, so I had to pay for my surgery, whereas a person in Alberta has theirs covered, sucks to be me.

One of the problems is there was no huge outcry of protest from John Q Public over the de-listing, and of course the TS community is so small as to have no political clout whatsoever.  Recently a case was brought before the Ontario Human Rights Commission challenging the de-listing and we won.  Now we have to wait for the current government to get off their butts and re-list SRS.  Now we are not holding our breath as this is not an election year but we have hope.

Maybe the decision by the NHS can be challenged through some form of Human Rights Commission in the UK.

Just a thought.

Steph

What annoys me the most about this ruling is the fact that they listed SRS as a voluntary surgery, along with breast augmentaion and tattoo removal. 

Once again the putrid face of bureaucratic ignorance shows itself and from a part of a "medical" institution, no less.

Absolutely deplorable.  Shame! Shame!! Shame!!!

Foul gestures and frowns to them,
helen

Quote from: LostInTime on January 01, 2007, 06:38:21 PM
anyone seeking NHS support for medical services such as gender reassignment, tattoo removal, or breast enhancements will have to pay for it.

Why is SRS grouped with those surgeries? Why does the innappropriately named Hounslow Primary "Care" Trust describe SRS as "non-essential"? It's very essential! If this starts happening in other areas I'm going to have a MAJOR problem.

Following on from what Steph has mentioned I have been mooching round the web to see what I could find as I was sure I had heard of a similar sort of thing happening in the UK.  Here are some ineresting links although they are a little out of date ...

http://www.pfc.org.uk/node/539
http://www.pfc.org.uk/node/837
http://www.pfc.org.uk/node/838

Quote from: Steven on January 02, 2007, 07:06:02 AM
If this starts happening in other areas I'm going to have a MAJOR problem.

Same here hon !!  Just been looking at the NHS website aswell and came across this ...

"The National Health Service or NHS as it is more commonly known, was set up on the 5th July 1948 to provide healthcare for all citizens, based on need, not the ability to pay.

The NHS is funded by the taxpayer and managed by the Department of Health, which sets overall policy on health issues. It is the responsibility of the Department of Health to provide health services to the general public through the NHS."


Maybe a lot of us in the UK expect to much from the NHS, not just relating to the treatment of gender realated issues but to treatment of things in general.  There is not a bottomless pit of money to provide treatment for the sick, but if you take that above statement as it reads then if you have been dignosed as having a "need" to receive healthcare then it should be provided.  We are so lucky in some respects as some of the post I have read on this site talk about how difficult it is to get treatment in other parts of the world and about how expensive it can be.  At the end of the day if someone challenges it then I feel the decision will be reversed, but dealing with your feelings and going through with the treatment is a big enough thing as it is, do you really need the added hassle of having to fight for it along the way ?

Becky
xx

Alarmist headline... this isn't a UK-wide thing.

Hounslow. I sense some local politics being involved with this. Would have liked to see far more detail to this story.

Not so sure if its politics or money ?  Or are they the same thing, have a look at this ...

http://www.hounslowpct.nhs.uk/cgi-bin/documents/Commissioning%20Intentions%202007-08%20(Draft%20as%20Circulated).doc

Becky
xx

So this is a draft... to be approved sometime in February. I wonder if any other health authorities have similar guidelines in place. Also surprised to see breast reduction in there as well. I can't imagine this being passed unopposed.

Wonder how I would have felt if my local health authority had caused problems for me. Probably would have gone on the warpath.  >

Yup, it sure is - I did notice that there is an email address that comments can be sent to regarding the proposals in the document.  I have a good mind to try and put something constructive together about how I fell and mail it off, although I am not really very good at that sort of thing.

I did have a look on my own local PCT website and can't see any proposals along these lines but that doesn't mean that it won't change, either where I am or anywhere else for that matter !!  Suppose it's just a case of waiting to see what happens ?

Its a little strange actually - the specialist I am under in Leicester says that I need to live full time for 2 years and all being well I would then be eligible for SRS if that is what I want and it is approved by the panel who review my case.  However in theory my local PCT has the authority to refuse funding for the treatment even if Leicester give me the go ahead.  Hmmm, almost feels as though the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing as the phrase goes !!

Becky
xx

When my insurance company flatly denied pre-approval for my surgery, I paid for it.  And when it was done, I threatened to sue them.  I sent them a letter (several pages long) citing medical reasons and related court cases.

With that one letter, they capitulated. I think that they paid my claim because it was the easiest and cheapest thing for them to do.  Go figure. 

Cindi

Quote from: Cindianna_Jones on January 03, 2007, 11:42:35 AM
When my insurance company flatly denied pre-approval for my surgery, I paid for it.  And when it was done, I threatened to sue them.  I sent them a letter (several pages long) citing medical reasons and related court cases.

With that one letter, they capitulated. I think that they paid my claim because it was the easiest and cheapest thing for them to do.  Go figure. 

Cindi

I am assuming at the time that they didn't specifically have a clause that said they would not pay for treatment related to gender identity.

Melissa

Yes Melissa, this was the case.  It was a primary reason I accepted the job offer where I had that insurance.  I suppose that all the policies have those clauses in them now. 

Cindi

haveing two years ago had srs surgery at charing cross hospital in london which is the main hospital in the uk for srs i can tell you that there is a long list for srs four or five years is a norm but on the nhs it is free yes you have to jump hoops but it is well worth doing at the end of the day just keep going as to hounslow this is because of a debt in the primary care trust which all pcts have in the uk  press for change pressure group here in the uk are fighting this as we speak and hopefully will win