Wes Streeting on the nhs.

[Imnobody4]

From the Times;
Transgender patients could be treated in private rooms in NHS hospitals to protect their “rights and dignities”, Wes Streeting has said.

The health secretary said NHS guidance on same-sex wards is being reviewed in light of the Supreme Court ruling that a woman is defined by biological sex under equalities law

Asked about his previous comments that “trans women are women — get over it”, he said: “I’ve addressed this previously and I don’t mind kind of saying, ‘look, you know, I don’t think that was the right thing to say’.

And actually, I wish I’d listened much earlier. I don’t think we, to be honest, given some of the rough discourse we’ve had on these issues in recent years, I don’t think we lose anything by having a bit of humility to say, ‘actually, I wish we’d listened’.”

https://www.thetimes.com/article/3446833b-e40b-40b8-8168-d49e277ae75a?shareToken=0355c6bdd9c0aaf388bc5b8992a65575

He’s the only Labour MP who has been honest and said, “yup, I’m sorry, I got it wrong.” I don’t know much about the man, but that right there puts him head and shoulders above the rest of them for me.

Bravo, Wes. So much respect for him for putting his hands up and saying ‘I got it wrong, I wish I’d listened’.

He's read the room too and has his eyes on the top job. Wouldn't mind though having a labour leader willing to be humble and admit they were wrong. It's a rare thing to see in politics. He does seem to understand the issues too.

Nah, it's just a standard reverse ferret.

He backed the wrong horse, now he's trying again. Who knows what he actually believes?

I am pleased that he's taken back some of his previous comments.

But I'm seriously eyebrow-raisy about giving a private room to trans patients as a priority over other patients.

NHS wards are busy and noisy and can be quite distressing when you are very unwell. I remember being in one and wishing I could be in a private room. At that time, I asked for one, and was told that there were no private rooms available because they had been allocated to women who were more unwell than me, and I understood.

Private rooms should be allocated according to clinical need, it's the only fair way.

There is no danger at all that people who would like a good night’s sleep will suddenly discover a heretofore undisclosed trans identity for themselves or a loved one.

No risk of gaming at all. After all, comparable NHS services, the Criminal Justice System and Prison Service have been gamable for years but nobody’s abused it.

I wonder if NB is under the Trans umbrella. One might opt to be a female presenting NB - would self-id be sufficient? Or are they still relatively in the grey area?

ETA: I am delighted that Sex Matters named the Rainbow Badge Scheme and also Brady’s pernicious influence.

I misread that placard - I thought the bottom line said "Imaginary People deserve to exist". They absolutely do!

I have rights and dignities too, everyone does. NHS private rooms should be allocated fairly

Wow that's unexpectedly humble... I might vote Labour again.

Actually no, my own labour mp is too much on the fence.

I thought the bottom line said "Imaginary People deserve to exist"

They've been peeing next to you for years and you've never even noticed!

The way he's open about being wrong puts even more pressure on Starmer.
I'm not sure about the separate rooms but he also talks about cubicles — partitioned areas within wards. That would be fine so long as its in the men's ward and not the women's.

Good on him, it’s not easy to admit you got it wrong and Streeting has freely done so. He has shown integrity and humility and is now listening to women. Pity Starmer couldn’t follow his example.

Archive version

https://archive.ph/OqalO

I think private rooms could make sense for trans-identified females who 'pass' as men. Paragraph 221 of the ruling stated that such females can be excluded from female only space if there are reasonable objections, including to masculine appearance. I could imagine if you had, for example, a woman with dementia it could be very intimidating and confusing for her to see someone who appears to be a man on her ward. But clearly the trans patient would need to be cared for somewhere. Ultimately the number of even TIFs who pass is limited so it would be a very small number of patients they would need to cater for.

I had the same thoughts as other posters. Pleased that he admits to his mistakes, golden bridge and all that, but that allowing special feelings to have a separate room is open to everyone to try that trick. I wondered if he’s just saying it as a sweetener but it wouldn’t be implemented in practice

A private room?

I think good on him. If trans people get a separate room that's ok by me. It's a tiny number of people who would get their own room when they wouldn't for other reasons. I really don't mind trans people getting accommodations if they don't come at the cost of another marginalised group. The whole debate has only really become so entrenched because women's rights were being utterly trampled on without consideration for even the most ridiculous of circumstances (rape crisis centres, sports, prisons, woman of the year awards etc) rather than because most women have a desire to exclude trans people from society. If we can have our rights safeguarded, that's the important thing. Presumably men and women will be equally affected by any sudden overuse of private hospital rooms.

Already happens in my local trust.

Streeting responded to Cass very well as well. I do not love all his ideas, but I think he is extremely clever and takes advice rather than relying on ideology. He's streets ahead (sorry!) of the rest of the front bench.

He changed his mind/horse quite a while ago though, not just after this judgement.

Respect to you Mr Streeting. The only one of them who has acknowledged their misjudgement. He went up in my estimation before the general election and for his action wrt the Darlington Nurses. He comes across as not just purely a performative politician and his family background and life experiences have been far from privileged. He shows the qualities of being a great statesman.

He is dangerously delusional. Private rooms? Where & how seeing as how we are down to mixed sex corridor care in crumbling and filthy facilities with staff being cut even more.

Well paper curtains were considered sufficient for women's safety, privacy and dignity when annex B put any man who wanted it in our wards. But now if it's the men in nighties who will be feeling unsafe, sure give them the side room which would otherwise be given to the end of life patient, or the infectious one, or the teenage or learning disabled one so they could have their mum stay with them. Priorities.

He wants the top job.

I read this as treating trans people with dignity and respect in principle and were funds unlimited then private rooms would be perfect solution.

However, in practice this will mean curtains in a same sex ward according to biological sex as funds are very tight and bed space is limited. It means he’s completely understood how the application of the SC ruling should happen in practice.

Yes, exactly completely deluded as to the state of hospitals. He must be visualising how it would work in his regular private hospital where everyone has a private room with en-suite toilet & shower.