Seeking to understand - how is transitioning funded in UK?

[loveyouradvice]

Seeking to educate myself fast and realising how ignorant I am....

I totally understand and accept that the NHS funds transitioning for those who have gender dysmorphia, after appropriate (hopefully) consultation and time lag.

I sadly understand they seldom fund counselling for those who are unsure if they want to transition or not, but only for those who do - particularly relevant for teenagers.

Presumably the NHS funds transitioning for teens/twenties, including surgery and ongoing hormones?

But what happens to those who are older who want to trans... in their thirties and forties, especially those who have no history of being uncomfortable with their gender prior to this and have often lived a very heterosexual lifestyle i.e. presumably those who have autogynephilia..... is it mainly self- funded or what happens?

The funding comes out of the mental health budget of the NHS. Once the TAs get their way and those with dysphoria and dysmorphia are no longer included under the mental health umbrella, then they will have to fight for funding in the same way as all other non-urgent plastic surgery patients have to, I assume.

Really interesting ... anyone else any insights?

Apparently there are chatrooms and fora where men are coached in what to say at psych assesments so it looks like they have genuine dysphoria, quite how and why they are believed when they are middle aged and have fathered children, is anyones guess.

I know through them being a client at my Work a 65 year old MTT who tells us all in great detail about their surgery and hormones (no one asks this info).
They had bottom surgery last year all on the NHS but in a private hospital. They’ve received laser hair removal and hormones on the NHS also.

From what I have read, surgery and hormones were refused for people with AGP, historically.

As little as two years ago I saw screenshots of men saying how they would never get treatment if their therapists really knew it was a fetish.

I suspect, even today, if you say it's a fetish, you still won't get treatment on the NHS. So they probably don't. Just stick to the script that they have always felt like a woman.

The memorandum of understanding asserts that affirmation is the only treatment.

So there is no other recourse.

Mind boggling, surely AGP is fairly easy to assess? - can totally understand funding younger trans, but not midlife having lived hetero lifestyle... especially as mental health is so poorly funded in this country, especially for teenagers in crisis....

I think there is therapy offered for 16 and under, adult services more geared to providing what you need to live in your "preferred gender" - which could be any combination of advice, hormones, surgery. If you meet the criteria, you get the treatment, funded by NHS

www.nhs.uk/conditions/gender-dysphoria/