A new survey has just been released by RedC Research on behalf of the Health Service Executive (HSE) to assess experiences of transgender healthcare in Ireland. The survey is a part of the HSE’s initiative to develop a new model of gender-affirming care in the country and will close on August 21.
RedC Research explains, “It aims to understand experiences of accessing, or attempting to access, gender‑affirming healthcare in Ireland, and views on how services should be organised in the future.”
This represents a major shift, as previously the voices of trans people have often been left out of clinical conversations around changing the model of care. It also comes at an uncertain time regarding the state of Irish trans healthcare, as Dr Karl Neff will step down as the HSE Gender Healthcare Clinical Lead at the end of the year.
The survey was shared on social media by Trans Healthcare Action, who state: “It is imperative that our stories are heard, understood, and carefully considered in the new model of care. Ireland’s current system is broken and unfit for purpose”.
Despite the continuous protesting of LGBTQ+ groups such as Transgender Equality Network Ireland (TENI) and Trans & Intersex Pride Dublin, the average time to be seen by the National Gender Service (NGS) remains around four years, with many experiencing even longer waiting times, spanning over 10 years.
Additionally, insight from Transgress the NGS has revealed the invasive and inappropriate questioning of patients during psychological assessments at the NGS. For these reasons and many more, reforming the model of gender-affirming care is a pressing issue.
Trans Healthcare Action concludes, “It can be painful to discuss our experiences, reliving harm and trauma, but it truly is vital if we want to see things improve.”
The survey is 10 minutes long, open to those over 16 and can be accessed here.
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