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

Screenshot of the document I’m looking for:

Have you tried putting the links into the wayback machine? Someone might have saved them.
I'd be happy to try if you're not sure where to start

@Blackmetallic The links were all via either the wayback machine (GIRES) or the National Archives (DH.gov.uk). There’s certainly nothing now. If you’re interested, I’ll DM you the links I’ve found, and you could work from there?

It may be that if someone has time to work through every single snapshot on wayback machine of the GIRES website, the document might be there in one of them. I just don’t have time to do that, as it requires looking at each snapshot to see if there’s a likely menu, and following all the links that might lead to them as the search function doesn’t work on archived websites. Same for the dh.gov.uk website, as it was (according to GIRES) a document commissioned by the Dept of Health. But that website is big and often re-arranged, so each snapshot takes quite a long time to search.

I've just found that one as a PDF on Amazon Web Services. I googled the title of the document plus GIRES and it was the first item

@GreenAllOver happy to have a look through the snapshots on way back machine if you want to DM any links over to me :)

@Blackmetallic Could you send me a link? When I tried that I got a different document (two years later, purple cover). Thank you!

Great work! If you can DM @GreenAllOver the link that would be brilliant 🤩

@GreenAllOver I've sent you the link I found, it definitely comes up for me as the same rainbow cover document

Isn’t it amazing how a different browser or equipment set up can change the search results so much between individuals?

I've submitted Hampshire Hospitals

Says that Trans people can be excluded from opposite sex accommodation if appropriate after a risk assessment done. But then contradicts itself in the same policy.

From Transitioning at Work Policy
Transphobia - The fear or aversion towards trans individuals, which may also encompass the denial or refusal to acknowledge and accept their gender identity.
A hate crime occurs when acts of transphobia is perpetrated against an individual, resulting in the commission of a criminal offence. The Trust maintains a zero-tolerance stance towards all forms of discrimination and hate crime... Further information for reporting a hate crime via Operation Cavell can be found here.

Unusually, on current Trust website admits to having a connection with Stonewall - but I think may have been there for a long time as only mentions LGB, not TQIA+

Well done - thanks!

Re Yorkshire Post journalists:
Bill Carmichael retired last week 🤦‍♀️…
The journalist dealing with health including the NHS is Richard Fidler. He is also assistant features editor. No idea what his viewpoint is on gender ideology. Ex sports reporter, cricket.

Gosh, just catching up with this thread. Brilliant work all!

@FarriersGirl can I have Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust please as my next one?

Hi all. Popping back in here after a short hiatus due to Too Much Life going on!

@KnottyAuty @TwoLoonsAndASprout re. egregious examples around mental health Trusts, I seem to recall that RDaSH had some of the wilder TRA policies and I also submitted a document with that trust relating to sexual and physical assaults within their mental health inpatient wards. I may be wrong, but it could be worth a look at your end. If my recollection is correct, it might be an avenue worth exploring further, and/or a good hook for a local press article?

Fab - thank you for that! Will go hunt it out…

(Sympathise with the Too Much Life - ditto!)

Its all yours - I'll DM the latest jot form

Thanks all - I'm following along but I'm also busy IRL so I don't always have time to post. But I am defo doing my best to keep up. TwoLoons and I are having a meeting tomorrow (exciting!) so we will hopefully report back on a strategy for further regional stories, the big reveal story at the end of the audit and then maybe an online home for our findings... lots to think about

Have a lovely meeting

Please could I be allocated a spare Trust

Submitted Ashford & St Peters NHS Foundation Trust and Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust

The usual dearth of info on websites and incoherent single sex accommodation policies available only from FOI responses.

Some references to v early publications, not sure if any of these new to @GreenAllOver - probably not but sharing JIC
"A significant number of trans individuals experience difficulties when accessing healthcare (Whittle et al., 2007). This may be due to prejudice and/or lack of knowledge by healthcare staff."

Dept of Health (2006) Dignity in Care Challenge DH, London
Dept of Health (2007) Privacy and Dignity-A Report by the Chief Nursing Officer into mixed sex accommodation in hospitals. DH, London

Has anyone come across this eyewatering claim from PHE re suicide ideation / attempts?
"Trans individuals have a higher rate of self-harm behaviour and suicide than the general population (Whittle et al 2007; Dhejne et al., 2011; Claes et al.,2014). Public Health England has data that states 90% of the trans community have thought about or attempted suicide."

It will be wonderful, @KnottyAuty if you are able to find a way to share the brilliant work that this wonderful team has done.

Some power support to get more local exposure in regional newspapers would be excellent. I am sure the women of WRN in many regions will want to follow up with theiir local trusts and keep the pressure up to secure the changes required to make trusts compliant with the law.

@FarriersGirl please allocate me another couple whenever you get a minute - thanks

How about East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust?

If you could do Frimley Health Foundation Trust and Isle of Wight NHS trust that would be fab.

Re "Public Health England has data that states 90% of the trans community have thought about or attempted suicide."

It's much higher than the dodgy self report surveys conducted online in the anglosphere. I've looked for this re PHE, in the UK and globally and asked Grok and Co-pilot. Nothing found.

That's a crazy high figure - I tried googling for the original data and found this article which says Mermaid's 50% figure doesn't seem to have solid basis, so that suggests treating the 90% with extreme caution:
https://www.transgendertrend.com/a-scientist-reviews-transgender-suicide-stats/

Are you able to find the quoted references? Because maybe it is time for some more reporting on the dodgy reporting on these figures? Especially if PHE is inflating them