Attention Women in Devon

[anotherFOIrequester]

Thanks to Graham Linehan for posting:

grahamlinehan.substack.com/p/attention-women-in-devon

Devon Partnership NHS Trust’s ‘Supporting Transgender, Non-Binary and Intersex Patients’ policy is an absolute shocker.

There’s much to choose from, but surely the worst part is this:

“Where a transgender woman is admitted and has a history of sex offending, decisions regarding risk should include consideration of whether they are being prescribed anti-libidinal medication that would be expected to reduce sexual risk.”

Yes you read that right - this policy’s answer to the question ‘Should we ever place a convicted male rapist on a female ward?’ isn’t ‘OF COURSE NOT, ARE YOU COMPLETELY INSANE?’ but ‘Inclusion is a warm and fuzzy word isn't it, so let’s see what we can do…’

Women in Devon need to know that if they are admitted to hospital, there’s a chance there will be a convicted male sex offender in the next bed.

The approach to supporting intersex patients is basically writing ‘and intersex’ on the end of sentences - and astonishingly this NHS Trust defines people with DSDs as ‘A term used to cover a variety of different conditions where a person has sexual or reproductive anatomy that is outside of the definitions for male or female.’

The Equality Impact Assessment on the policy, carried out in 2018, says the policy will magically benefit people with the protected characteristic of gender reassignment while not affecting anyone else. Miraculous!

Up the road in Bristol, after local women and clinicians objected, the NHS carried out an EIA on their trans guidance showing negative impacts on people with the protected characteristics of sex, age, disability and religion. Women are currently asking them to revise this and include sexual orientation.

The good news is the Devon policy is now due for review. In response to a Freedom of Information request, the Trust said:

“The Trust is currently undertaking biennial review of the Supporting transgender, non-binary and intersex patients’policy in line with policy requirements. The ratified policy will be published in spring 2021, following thorough review and consultation with a range of key stakeholders. As the policy review is currently in early stages of scoping, the Trust is not currently able to provide details of the review process undertaken and outcomes as these have not yet been reached.This information will be available once the process has completed, in spring 2021.”

This is not good enough.

If you’re in Devon, please complain to [email protected] - ask for a new Equality Impact Assessment and ask how they plan to consult women in this policy review.

Ask who the ‘key stakeholders’ are.

Ask for the same transparency the NHS in Bristol has provided.

Ask whether the policy is compliant with the Trust’s safeguarding policy.

Ask what their legal insurers think.

The chief executive Melanie Walker is @DPT_ChiefExec - pronouns she/her.

More details on Mumsnet

Good grief! Openly welcoming rapists and sex offenders onto women's wards - and nobody in the NHS courageous enough to stand up and point out the dangers to women. What a toxic environment that must be.

I hate that I even have to ask this. I’m about to start a job in the NHS in Devon. Will I be risking that by emailing about this? Am I going to get tarred as a transphobe and have my offer withdrawn?

Wow MrsFiona - isn't it crazy that you need to ask this?! I hate it too.
Who knows... national NHS guidance is such a mess but perhaps focusing on the commitment to ending mixed-sex wards the best way to go?
Good luck in the new job! If Maya wins her appeal hopefully you won't need to ask that q any more.

Devon Partnership NHS Trust contacts:

Laura Hobbs, Executive Director Lead for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and Gerry Marshall, Trust Non-Executive Lead for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.

They need to withdraw this policy, start again, consult women and do a proper EIA.

[email protected]
[email protected]

Oh, rereading your post, it’s Devon Partnership which isn’t my trust. It’s the mental health trust which makes it even worse!

There's no way they have conducted an informed risk assessment. Men with no libido will use objects and their victims can be left with horrific injuries as a result.

Here's the staff policy which is equally bad: www.dpt.nhs.uk/resources/policies-and-procedures/clinical/staff-trans-non-binary-and-intersex-equality

They've replaced sex with gender when listing the Equality Act PCs.

They state that female service users could be upset by a female HCP transitioning to be a transman - talk about missing the point. Nothing whatsoever about the other way round - potential for female service users being upset by being lied to that their 'female' HCP is actually male. But of course if TWAW TMAM then that's perfectly logical...

The mostly female workforce is told: 'Gendered facilities such as changing rooms, showers and toilets can cause concern for a line manager in supporting a member of staff in their transition period. It can also be daunting for the person transitioning as they may be nervous about what colleagues may say about them using facilities they have not used previously. Usually people will be able to use the facilities of the gender they identify as at the point where they begin living as that gender, regardless of progress through the transition or surgeries which may or may not have taken place.'

@Thelnebriati

There's no way they have conducted an informed risk assessment. Men with no libido will use objects and their victims can be left with horrific injuries as a result.

Absolutely- they have made the mistake of thinking a sex crime is a crime related only to sexual desire, rather than a crime related to power and aggression.

It is actually despicable of them.

Devon Partnership NHS Trust has agreed to carry out an EIA (Equality Impact assessment) to look at the impact on other protected groups. They are asking everyone interested to let them know if they would like to be involved, or email input direct to them on [email protected].

You do not have to be from Devon, and you may find it useful to refer to the Bristol EIA to avoid reinventing the wheel, and the other NHS threads esp about Bristol and other Trusts.
Here is some links if useful- Fair Play for women has lots of info!

1- Mixed sex wards - humiliating and degrading for women- males, however they identify, can and should be excluded because they are male (not because they are trans) .

Privacy and dignity of females
www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jul/30/mixed-sexed-wards-endanger-and-humiliate-women

Patients and their relatives attested to intrusion, exhibitionism and leering from nearby beds, even with staff around. In 2009, Channel 4 discovered that almost two-thirds ofsexualassaultsby patients in hospitals (21 out of 33 in 2007/8), occurred in mixed-sex wards.'
'mixed-sex wards are an outrage, dangerous, a disgrace, even, possibly, a breach of article 3 of the Human Rights Act – against inhuman or degrading treatment

2- Equality Act 2010 (info on Fair Play for women site)
fairplayforwomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/EA2010_womensrights_-factsheet.pdf
also forwomen.scot/30/03/2019/tie-letter-legal-response/

3- That women are protected by their sex (NOT gender which is not defined or protected in the Act)
www.lawscot.org.uk/members/journal/issues/vol-65-issue-01/sex-and-the-equality-act/

4- Impact on / exclusion of religious women- many of whom have never, and will never, be able to access mixed sex wards when they are undressed or asleep, so are excuded from care.

5- Safety and safeguarding (further info regarding crimes by trans identified males on Fairplay for women website )
also www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/judge-criticises-hospital-after-girl-sexually-assaulted-by-man-63-on-ward-1.4170837

6- Impact on/ exclusion of on women who have experienced domestic abuse/ other male abuse.
This includes 'trans widows' and daughters of transitioners, many of whom have fled domestic abuse, controlling behaviour and gaslighting, which many trans policies try and enforce as they are written/ influenced by trans lobby groups who campaign to remove womens boundaries and ability to say no to men, especially when NHS hospitals are also Stonewall champions
eg
womansplaceuk.org/references-to-removal-of-single-sex-exemptions/
If women refuse to believe in magical thinking or refuse to say their husbands and fathers are now women they are excluded from care (in some areas they are also excluded from council funded domestic abuse support).More info on transwidows twitter and website and 'Children of transistioners' website on some boundaries issues- on what legal basis are NHS hospitals trying to force women to take part in male sexual fetishes?

7- NHS safeguarding policy - link usually on website or on request

8- Impact on women who have been raped/ sexually assaulted by males, including males who identify as transgender
eg
Account from rape victim who is also lesbian
glinner.co.uk/interview-with-clare-dimyon-mbe/
also evidence from Fovas
fovas.wordpress.com/

9- Consent
The NHS is required to get consent from women- to gaslight / coerce women into mixed sex wards without consent or effectively exclude them from care if they do not consent, when they are vulnerable, undressed, sleeping etc- is coercive control and abuse of women. Also see Forstater
a-question-of-consent.net/author/hiyamaya/

Excellent work Water let's al contact them bu email asking to be involved. I will be doing exactly that.

Brilliant work Water, thank you!

Thank you- I’ll be emailing!!

As another FOIrequster noted, they have changed their policies to remove the protected characteristic of sex.They have made up a new one of 'gender'. Please remind them they HAVE to consider the impact on women as a sex in their equality impact assessment - gender is not a protected characteristic, not defined in the act, and is irrelevant.

This will be their advisor. victimcaredevonandcornwall.org.uk/Victim-Support/Intercom-Trust/

[quote Roztheslug]This will be their advisor. victimcaredevonandcornwall.org.uk/Victim-Support/Intercom-Trust/[/quote]
I note this advisor states that their schools guidance - here:

https://victimcaredrive.s3.amazonaws.com/includes/documents/cornwallschoolsstransgenderguidance.pdf

"was developed in conjunction with Cornwall schools but is applicable nationwide and has been endorsed by the DfE" - from here:

victimcaredevonandcornwall.org.uk/Victim-Support/Intercom-Trust/

That guidance is from 2012. And among other things, it states:

"there should be reasonably few, if any issues regarding participation within the sports of their true gender."

The Cornwall guidance that advocates schools keeping secrets from parents - actively promoting alienating vulnerable children from their parents:
A parent or guardian may not always be the most supportive or appropriate person to assist the young person through transitioning. It may not be necessary for a parent or guarding to provide their permission for a Trans pupil or student to take steps to transition.

Blatant undermining of safeguarding and parental responsibilities and rights.

I suspect that this is the organisation that was paid to advise Devon NHS. Also Devon and Cornwall Police. I would love to know how much they get paid and why don't these statutory bodes question the advice they are given.

www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2536181353140487