GenderGP - something afoot?

I cant give details of the patient due to patient confidentiality but due to their record this is the last patient that should be prescribed hormonal treatment.
The letter we received just stated that they have multiple professionals working for them including medical.
The letter presented itself as though it had been done by a Medical Consultant that has requested the prescription but there was no named Consultant and just a random name with no indication of their role.
There was no information about any counselling or anything that had gone into making this decision for hormonal treatment.
Suddenly out of the blue a professional looking letter lands on our lap with a request for hormonal treatment. There is no indication the patient hasnt been seen face to face and was only assessed online. There is no information about what assessment has taken place just a generic blurb that they are staffed by professionals of many different talents. By asking me to prescribe they are asking me to take responsibility for any adverse effects that may occur.
I have had no training in prescribing hormonal treatment for transition. The medication is unlicensed. Due to not practicing out of my competence I am not able to prescribe, the issue is as simple as that. It's one of the first things you learn in Medical School.
Practice within your competence.
Unfortunately they don't take no for an answer and keep sending letters requesting the medication.

That fact is, the pharmacy regulator and the insurers intervened, which is why this practice has stopped.

Webberley was found guilty of running an illegal clinic and is suspended by the GMC.

Dr. Webberley is also not prescribing anything on behalf of anyone. The doctors prescribing for GenderGP are all qualified to do so.

Perhaps you shouldn't rely on this website for information on trans-related issues. It's like asking UKIP to bring you up to speed on immigration.

It does piss me off this framing of a STRUCK OFF doctor as a hero rather than little more than a prescription drug dealer.

Lets spell it out plainly here.

I mean we are talking about a gp WHO WAS STRUCK OFF FOR MISCONDUCT in case anyone is in any doubt about the credibility and ethics here.

Maybe we have skin in the game and want our loved ones not to be harmed by ideology setting the agenda rather than evidence based medicine.

But yeah crack on with the slur.

NC for this.
But I'm a GP working in the UK.
We have had a request for meds for a patient for GenderGP.
It was a long letter, with a request for a script. The request went round the surgery multiple times and no one knew what to do whether to prescribe or not. In the end it was only on the advice of the pharmacist the surgery declined.
They despite a previous decline they keep requesting if the GP is not aware we have already declined they may accidentally issue.
Unfortunately most GP's are not aware of the ins and outs or the delicate situation regarding the trans issue. Most haven't heard of GenderGP and GenderGP present themself as a professional agency with medical professionals who have advised about the prescription. There is no knowledge of its background and so some GP's would prescribe because we frequently do on advice of other doctors for the NHS.
Even now at my surgery they are thinking about writing a long letter to Gender GP about why we refused and giving reasons, when in reality it should have been a blunt No, that we are not indemnified to do this. If we are not trained we shouldn't so it, but GenderGP present themselves as though the request has come from a medical Consultant and so we are less likely to refuse.
It is only by coming on this website I know the GP's have been struck off and are working from Spain.

FWR: "We don't hate trans people"

(1000s of trans people lose access to their meds overnight thanks to concerted, well-resourced campaigningthat won't stop with Clear Chemist. Trans people will now either swamp the already overloaded GICs, or go underground for their meds and use youtube as a doctor)

FWR: victory dance

"entrap"

Yeah, no wonder they are unwilling to give up that gravy train. And pretending to be actually caring about trans healthcare in doing so. When caring would surely be following existing guidance and doing things properly, not least for if there were any complications along the road..

I know someone said bridging treatment was different, but this has been said by a few that I have seen today, that the doctor MUST continue on the prescriptions that have been stopped..

Tried going on gendergp to see what they charge for these thousands monthly but I am just getting

'Unable to connect

Firefox can’t establish a connection to the server at www.gendergp.com.'

This reply..

twitter.com/PlaceSteph/status/1313933955138310147

Is this true? That a GP would be obliged to continue treatment providing you had found a suspended doctor to issue a prescription to start with? That cannot be correct surely..

Trying to imagine this on my own situation. Luckily I have a fair few painkiller prescriptions the proper way now but it was ages to get them..if I had managed to find a doctor willing to write me a script for oxycodone for a few weeks, then for whatever reason that doctor stopped, would my GP then HAVE to prescribe me it?

Has me massively thinking this situation. I would imagine if I was addicted they would possibly give me what I had been getting but tapering it down ASAP (as its dangerous to cold turkey, not sure if its the same with hormones?). Or give me something like subutex rather than the oxy til they could wean me off totally? Hmm.

This was on the report from one of the previous pharmacies (not clearChemist where they also seem to have worked) where this person was the main prescriber, before setting up gender gp.

^Prescribing decisions were not always appropriate,
based on thorough medical history and in line with
evidence based; risk assessed national guidance and
best practice.^

Will individual pharmacies check this though?

No idea, I guess if the regulator send out some comms they might, otherwise the regulator will just deal with cases as and when they crop up.

Thousands. They have thousands of people paying them a monthly subscription for hormones. I'm horrified.

There is information on their fees here:
www.gendergp.com/help-centre/how-much/ (archive.li/8Gp8o)

Highlights:
Set up fee £195
Subscription £30 per 4 weeks
Information gathering session £60
Follow up sessions min 6th monthly £50ea

Blood tests are essential. Free if doctor will do them or £250 for a home test kit.

From the statement.

It is abundantly clear that some of the UK media is entirely focused on its mission to:
Make sure trans people do not have access to gender-affirming care

UK media doing their job then.

As a result of the recent negative press attention our prescribing chemist has been told they are unable to fulfil the prescriptions of the thousands of trans patients who use GenderGP.

Thousands

How many of those thousands are children?

Oh my god.

Thousands. They have thousands of people paying them a monthly subscription for hormones. I'm horrified.

They must be making tens of thousands a month from this.

According to this there were also issues with the insurers

DH is a pharmacist and I just told him about this and he said the whole set up sounds dodgy as hell.

Definitely nothing dodgy going on

www.cognitoforms.com/GenderGPOwner/InformationAboutDispensingOptions

(archive.li/cvvgk)

"At GenderGP, we understand that not everyone understands the importance of gender-affirming care being readily available to those who need it."

Tsk. People are so ignorant...

"All GenderGP prescriptions are raised by doctors who are specialists in gender care. Sadly, due to the lack of available gender-affirmative specialists in the UK, we do not currently have a UK based prescriber. However, all of our prescriptions are 100% legal, legitimate and safe."

Which is why ClearChemist ditched them. And of course the UK is backward, that's why there are no UK doctors working with them...

"Many GPs are willing to carry out blood tests and to prescribe under our supervision, some need a little convincing and some outrightly refuse."

"Again, some pharmacists are very willing to dispense, others are more cautious and some refuse"

Interesting that some will and some won't - I'd have thought they'd be clear rules? TBH I'm surprised any would be daft enough to touch this.

Archive of Twitter thread, just in case 😉.

archive.md/0EycU

Presumably that is quite tricky if they are based abroad but it must be necessary....??