New NHS guidance on same sex accommodation

[LukewarmCustard]

The guidance starts out well. '1.2 Guidance statement: Providers of NHS-funded care are expected to have a zero-tolerance approach to mixed-sex accommodation, except where it is in the overall best interest of all patients affected.'

But then there is Annex B, which says 'Trans people should be accommodated according to their presentation: the way they dress, and the name and pronouns they currently use. This may not always accord with the physical sex appearance of the chest or genitalia. It does not depend on their having a gender recognition certificate (GRC) or legal name change. It applies to toilet and bathing facilities (except, for instance, that preoperative trans people should not share open shower facilities).' Annex B was apparently written with input from the Government Equalities Office.

NHS accommodation is now mixed sex accommodation with allocations based on pronouns.

I worry that this is not the only area where needs of vulnerable and disadvantaged people are not being assessed correctly, if hospitals don't understand the purpose of these assessments. They are not supposed to be a box ticking exercise.

There are a lot more people who're involved in religions that require them to use single sex spaces than there are trans identified people in the UK, just for a start.

Annex B

In addition to the usual safeguards outlined in relation to all other patients, it is
important to take into account that immediately post-operatively, or while
unconscious for any reason, those trans women who usually wear wigs, are unlikely
to wear them in these circumstances, and may be ‘read’ incorrectly as men. Extra
care is therefore required so that their privacy and dignity as women are
appropriately ensured

..but don't worry about the privacy and dignity of the women born female, eh?

So the fact that a male person may see a woman's bare breasts or vulva on the ward is fine, but God forbid anyone sees a trans woman's bald head/shorter than they'd like people to think hair?

Yes, that's about it

Once again it is obsessive and careful deference given to all the accoutrements of femininity and sex stereotypical props, adopted by male patients as a choice, because of feelings.

Versus actual sick women being left in physical disadvantage (and sadly danger) as evidenced by harassment and attacks in healthcare settings.

Martina Navratilova not impressed at the idea.

"This will not end well..."

twitter.com/Martina/status/1179000710060478464

Gotta 💖 Martina...

I've made an FOI request for the Equality Impact Assessment and some other related documents.

www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/equality_impact_assessment_for_d

I am making a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to be supplied with the following information regarding the NHS policy and guidance document entitled “Delivering same-sex accommodation”, which was published on 26th September 2019.

1. The Equality Impact Assessment which was undertaken before publishing this document.

1. All other documentation which indicates that the NHS has fulfilled its obligations under the Public Sector Equality Duty regarding this policy and guidance. The PSED requires public bodies to assess the impact of policies on all groups protected under the Equality Act 2010.

1. If not contained in the response to 1 or 2 above, all documents showing how the potential conflict between the protected characteristics of sex and gender reassignment was assessed.

Good job.

Errol, that article is very interesting, particularly the part where the Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust says this:

"The Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust said that they welcome the opportunity to discuss this with the complainant in addition to the written response they have already received and they have taken legal advice on The Equality Act regarding the admission of transgender people to NHS wards. ‘The Equality Act offers guidance about the admission of transgender people to NHS wards and this is something we have also taken legal advice on. ‘This directs that transgender people should be able to self-identify and receive treatment on the ward that is appropriate and in line with that self-identification."

That’s interesting Mini. Is it a specialist ward then, since it’s mixed anyway? Do you know if it’s the general practice in most wards

My local hospital every single ward is mixed, but with separate female/male bays. All off the same internal ward “corridor” which is where the nurses station and toilets/showers Are.

Men though do have a tendency to wander, women as well....often through dementia. I’ve worked there and it’s not uncommon to pull a man out the woman’s bay or vice verse.

So when you are lying on a stretcher bleeding profusely - they now have to ask you (even if you are stark naked) if your gender is male or female then bundle you off the the single sex ward? What if you are unconscious?!

It’s getting very silly. I was at a conference and the organisers had a uniform - plain white (unisex) shirt, jeans, trainers - little makeup, plain hairstyles.

There was one staffer who I couldn’t quite pin down as ‘male’ or ‘female’ - it was a male bodied person. They hair was long and permed, and half tied back with a clip. They way they stood, walked, half smiled - yes, could have been ‘female’. If they had said either way I wouldn’t have been amazed. They were early 20s so at an age when such things are possible I guess. I managed to wangle an introduction and yes, he was male and a man.

Why am I having to mess with my brain so that I don’t ‘get it wrong’???

I have just typed out a long letter of complaint and emailed it to
[email protected] -which is the contact given at the end of the document. But I had it pinged back as undeliverable, address not correct - anyone else had this problem?

Looks like a typo in the email address you used, GC.

should be:

[email protected]

I got an automatic reply, stating that it will be replied to within 18 days. That message also had a link to the FOI address to use if required.

Janice Turner on Twitter:

twitter.com/VictoriaPeckham/status/1179075055659159552

"In direct contravention of the 2010 Equality Act, new NHS guidance decrees that gender identity overrides biological sex. Any male person who self-IDs as a woman - regardless of transition - must be accommodated on a women's ward. Extraordinary".

The Equality Act offers no such guidance. Communal accommodation is a clearly stated exemption.

Sorry that reply was to andyoldlabour re the Lancashire Trust response.

Piers Morgan saying what he sees.

twitter.com/piersmorgan/status/1179075451937071105

"What a joke.
This isn't 'equality' - it's an assault on women's rights".

Those comments....

I see the dissenters are down to either trying to argue that Morgan is no defender of women's rights (so shouldn't have said it presumably) or in the case of one twit, trying whataboutery/NAMALTING. They've got nothing else.

More dispiriting are the wails of 'where are the feminists? Why aren't they doing something about it?'

Because of policy capture. We've been screaming to be heard for years now. When this finally blows up in Westminster's face, some major changes to system are going to be required to prevent another political lobby successfully infiltrating and controlling a system that has a duty to be neutral and even handed. This will be a text book example of How Parliament Majorly Fucked Up for centuries to come.

Incidentally if I see another bepenised misogynist twit come out with the 'well you feminists kept voting for progressive politics, you only have yourselves to blame' I may eat them a la praying mantis. It translates as 'see what happens when you silly girls get above yourselves and try getting out of your box?'.

Sarah Vine, (the criminal barrister, not the journalist and wife of Michael Gove) tweets:

twitter.com/SarahVAtDSC/status/1179078409105940480

"This policy is, I am sure, well-intentioned, and aimed at protecting the dignity, privacy and safety of trans patients. I am also sure it requires a great deal more careful thought, because in its current form it wholly displaces the dignity, privacy and safety of female patients"

There seems to be a few women in the legal profession pricking up their ears these days.

A sign of the tide turning that they are going public with their thoughts.

Alison Bailey, criminal defence barrister, also retweeted Cath Leng's tweet about same-sex accommodation and has been vocal on Twitter generally.

twitter.com/BluskyeAllison

Joanna Cherry of course is a barrister who worked as a specialist sex crimes prosecutor. She has said that experience made her alert to the dangers of self-ID.

Dear fucking god, the endometriosis study linked via one of those tweets.

endometriosis.org/news/research/attractiveness-of-women-with-endometriosis/

So, like, sure, women are in pain and are not being offered much in the way of useful treatment, but what would really be useful and interesting would be to study how this correlates with how much we, the male researchers, want to shag them. This is super important, everyone, and we will continue to defend it even after angry women point out how bloody stupid it is.

This has been reported in the Telegraph.

(most of the article behind paywall but link is here)
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/10/01/transgender-patients-can-choose-treated-male-female-wards-new/

I know this because my mum told me about it this morning. She's a Telegraph reading pensioner and many of the things discussed on this board would not be on her radar (not least because she has no internet access). This story however has got through.

I've had a very swift reply from NHS England to my FOI request.

"NHS England does not hold this information. This document was produced by NHS Improvement (NHSI). As such, you may wish to contact NHS Improvement directly."

So I've redirected the request to NHS Improvement.
www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/equality_impact_assessment_for_d_2

This policy has been going on for years. It's important to be aware of this. It isn't new. That doesn't make it ok or problem free.

I must say that I always recheck any views I find myself sharing with Sarah Vine. That's not a bad thing. I still agree with her in this case.

In my view there are definitely times and places when a trans person should be in hospital wards based on their sex and times when their gender presentation would be a more appropriate categorisation. Risk to all patients should be considered.