The grassroots group Transgress the NGS has just announced an update on their open letter directed to Minister for Health, Jennifer Caroll McNeill, and senior HSE management, demanding improved trans healthcare in Ireland. The letter has officially reached 2,200 signatures, including over 50 community and political organisations.

Among the signees are People Before Profit, Mammies for Trans Rights, Trans Healthcare Action, ROSA, Federation of University Teachers, Trans Pride Northern Ireland and more.

Speaking on behalf of Transgress the NGS, activist Fiadh Tubridy shared: “The number of organisations of different types which have endorsed this campaign, including political parties, trade unions and LGBT+ organisations, as well as the number of individual people who have signed, shows that the majority of people understand that the voices of trans people cannot be ignored when it comes to developing a new model of healthcare which is meant to serve our community”.

The open letter on improved trans healthcare was first published in February 2025 but has since been updated. It addresses the current development of a new Model of Care (MoC) for trans healthcare in Ireland. However, Transgress the NGS said, “We have serious concerns about this process and the likelihood that it will deliver a model of care that will meet the needs of our community.”

 

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These concerns are related to the lack of commitment in constructing the new MoC in line with international best practice outlined by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), specifically regarding the principle of informed consent.

Additionally, Transgress the NGS critiques the involvement of senior HSE clinicians in the MoC development process, due to “the complete lack of trust between the NGS and the trans community”. Specifically, they mention the National Gender Service’s practice of advising GPs to deny blood tests for trans patients accessing HRT through alternative means (privately or DIY).

They add, “Their involvement will thus have a chilling effect on trans people and limit our ability to engage in any future consultation processes.”

Furthermore, Transgress the NGS acknowledges the HSE’s engagement with the trans community through their recent survey to assess experience of gender-affirming care in Ireland. However, they point out that this engagement “will seemingly be limited to a narrow range of groups and individuals deemed representative of the community and involve requests for feedback without any guarantee our perspectives will be taken into account”. Therefore, they demand that trans people are more actively involved in the process and treated as equal collaborators.

Minister McNeill has publicly expressed her commitment to improving the Irish trans healthcare system, stating: “Developing a model of care for Gender Healthcare Services is expected to be a complex process and the HSE and department officials will work closely together to support the process, ensure transparency and keep the patient at the centre of the process”.

She continued, “It is important that the HSE is given time to develop a model of care that is based on the best clinical evidence and that will deliver the best outcomes for persons with gender incongruence or dysphoria.” This open letter follows a previous one published in 2024, directed to the prior Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, which received over 1,100 signatures.

The development of the new MoC is expected to be finished by the end of this year, with numerous LGBTQ+ organisations like Transgender Equality Network Ireland (TENI) being directly involved in the process. Transgress the NGS activist Fiadh Tubridy concluded, “This letter is just a first step in our campaign. We intend to continue fighting to ensure our voices are heard”.

You can check out the full open letter here!