NHS Policy Audit - working party - thread #2

[KnottyAuty]

This is a thread about “keeping the receipts” on NHS Policies prior to the Supreme Court ruling on 16th April 2025.

Our working theory is that there were no single sex spaces for NHS Staff or Patients in the entire country before that date, having all been removed by stealth. We are aiming to prove this by auditing websites and policies for all the UK trusts and using the results to raise public awareness. As well as recording what has happened historically, the information will form a baseline so we can check which Trusts comply or defy the judgement in due course.

We are working around the country region by region. If you fancy getting involved in a bit of grassroots feminism then please do join in to help!? Each trust takes about an hour to research and you can upload online without giving any personal details away. Comment below and we can give you the link to an online survey - it changes for each region.

Thanks soooo much to all the vipers who have helped so far and @ Twoloons for doing a great job with the thread wrangling!

Here are the press articles we’ve managed to generate so far:

Scotland:
25th March: The Telegraph
https://archive.is/dTUhY
26th March: Scottish Daily Express
https://archive.is/kaLCB
26th March: The Telegraph
https://archive.is/iSD9m

London:
21st April: The Telegraph
https://archive.is/awGuz
23rd April: The Telegraph (in conjunction with another thread by NHS mumsnetters)
https://archive.is/1DO8d

Original thread #1 here:
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5291237-nhs-policy-audit-working-party?page=1

And another article today based on the London audit:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/04/25/teenage-boys-on-girls-hospital-wards-nhs-gender-rules/

Plus share link for the comments:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/071806ba6d79292a

And archive:
https://archive.ph/Iyblu

Well done vipers - that is 3 articles from London alone! There's still egregious stuff not yet covered...maybe enough for another 2?

Hi! I’ve been lurking for some time, and wondering if there are any trusts left that I can help with? I’m in awe of all the work women have been doing on this.

I just want to applaud how fast and powerfully you pulled this together - SUCH A FEAT!!

And demonstrates yet again the power of women coming together on Mumsnet to get things done... a long tradition, Man Friday, For Women Scotland and many more!!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!

Oooh a shiny new thread! I'm looking forward to Knotty's ranking of regional shame. So far, is Scotland worse than London overall, and where does Midlands fit? Is there any hope for women needing care in the NHS at all?

I sincerely apologise if I'm teaching my grandmother to suck eggs - I've been knee deep in a different feminist endeavour and wasn't on the previous thread.

I assume you know that this was baked into NHS (so called ) single sex accommodation policy from the very start, in 2011? Annex B of the 'delivering same sex accommodation' policy?

Many Trusts have absolutely appalling policies (I work for one that has an especially bad one) but they were all initially based on Annex B, it came from the top not just from activists within individual Trusts. It was Stephen Whittle etc al doing a backroom deal with Andrew Lansley, sec of state for health at the time. We have never, ever actually had single sex accommodation in the NHS, it was called single sex but annex B made it single gender, right from the start.

Again, apologies for not RTF (previous)T and if this is all old news to you vipers

Happy to help.

How would we measure it?
Number of Stonewall Golds in one area?
Most deceitful website claims?
Most egregious statement?
Suggestions please….

I should say that, so far, only one trust referred to the unpalatable beliefs of “trans exclusionary radical feminists” …. in an EqIA…. Let me repeat that…. an EqIA referred to women as TERFs. Yes that’s the legal document which is supposed to be balanced and fair. So yeah for me London is the worst of a bad bunch…

😮 - was this done before or after Forstater? Because if the latter then that's very erm... honest about their misogyny. Also, they do know most nurses believe in the reality of biological sex, right?

The first time I raised the issue in my Trust ( pre Forstater) they referred disparagingly to TERFs in the reply. Might have dig it out and wave it at them.

Thank you! I think Annex B is from 2009. And back room deal is a good way to describe it because an average person would assume that a Single Sex Policy does just that. And the main body text does. Nowhere apart from the contents list is Annex B referred to - and trans people arent flagged in the acceptable breach section. So while that document is pointed to its seriously unconvincing and unclear - plausible deniability - about whether and how Annex B applies at all. For an average person the hiding of this in the back looks like what it is - lies and deception. Single Sex means single sex - the NHS if all places should know that and most grown ups do! So if any trusts point at that document as saying it was all instructed or that “everyone is doing it” then they just look really stupid IMO.

After!

I’m itching to know if the Telegraph will use it. I’m not sure that the reporter realises how incendiary that remark is in this particular context…

Thanks so much! Hopefully we can get started on a new area next week so we’ll give you a shout 😊

@Twoloonsandasprout will hopefully help with thread wrangling again; tracking which trusts are audited as we go along

Question - does anyone have any preferences for which area we tackle next?

East of England any good?
Or where might any marginal seats be to help steel political resolve?

Also happy to offer extra help if needed @KnottyAuty I have a much easier week next week. I have done the ground work for my last trust just need to get the jotform done.

A couple of suggestions, the North East and Yorkshire has quite a lot of the so called red wall seats. The South West has a traditionally been a stronghold for the Lib Dems and if we can wake up their local electorate it could be interesting. Might be worth thinking about contacting local press if and when we do this one?

Well I googled close seats in the local elections and Doncaster is the only council Labour is defending, according to the Independent.

"Doncaster
The only council Labour is defending at this year's elections, the party currently hold 41 of 55 seats here. On a very bad night for the Labour they could lose overall control of the council – to Nigel Farage’s Reform, for whom this is a top target." Key seats to watch in the 2025 local elections and why they matter

So that would be within NE and Yorkshire I think?

Then there's the Runcorn and Helsby by-election (the MP who punched someone I think?) which might be a very good target for some NHS stories. Would that be NW?

Ooh thanks - if you have a bit of time today/tomorrow would you be able to look out the Trust lists?

If we are going purely on GC issues then what region would would help Kemi Badenoch most nextg Thursday (if we can be quick)?!

I was wondering about Wales - so we can make a UK wide claim (assuming we extrapolate from London and the Midlands the probable situation in England).

I’ve just finished a contract and have a few weeks till the next one starts so well placed to pick up several Trusts in whichever region we decide to tackle next

I'll sort out the trust lists for both region tomorrow. I agree with @Cantunseeit that Wales would be worth doing, the Welsh health system is widely seen as a mess. Not sure we will get far enough to have an impact for Thursday.

Thirding Wales, brilliant idea to get UK perspective.

Is it realistic to think we might be done, or very close to it, by the time the EHRC consultation opens? Because I think it could be a great hook to hang it all on.

If you don’t already have it, Leicestershire Partnership Trust has their policy still online

https://www.leicspart.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Transgender-and-Non-Binary-Service-User-Policy.pdf

List of trusts in the South West

Acute Trusts in the South West region

Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
North Bristol NHS Trust
Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust
Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust
Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust
Somerset NHS Foundation Trust
Torbay and South Devon Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust
University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust
University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust

Community and Mental Health Trusts and Providers in the South West region

Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust
Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Devon Partnership NHS Trust
Dorset Health Care University Foundation Trust
Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust
Livewell South West
Sirona Care and Health
Wiltshire Health and Care

Ambulance Trusts in the South West region

South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust

It would be good to wake up some lib dem voters - who think they're the reasonable alternative to the Conservative party - via some media around absolutely batshit and anti-woman's rights they are. So I'm happy to do some SW trusts if that's the plan!

North East and Yorkshire Region

Acute Trusts

Airedale NHS Foundation Trust
Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Calderdale & Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust
County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust
Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust
Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust
Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust
North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust
Northumbria Health Care NHS Foundation Trust
Northern Lincolnshire & Goole NHS Foundation Trust
North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust
The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust
York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Ambulance Trusts

North East Ambulance Service NHS Trust
North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust
Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust

Community and mental health Trusts

Bradford District Care NHS Trust
Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust
Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust
Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust
Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust
Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust
South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust

Specialist Trust
Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust

And for good measure NHS Wales which is organised differently, 7 health boards that deliver local services and hospitals, and 3 trusts that deliver a specialist service across Wales

Aneurin Bevan University Health Board
Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board
Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board
Hywel Dda University Health Board
Powys Teaching Health Board
Swansea Bay University Health Board

Specialist trusts
Velindre University NHS Trust
Welsh Ambulances Services NHS Trust
Public Health Wales