NHS update on recording patient sex and gender identity

[Whatchamacallitt]

For a long time sex has been erased and replaced with gender identity. Trans-identified people actually lose out the most with this. There have been cases of trans-identified women having heart attacks, pregnancy emergencies, and kidney failure missed due to clinicians relying on normal male test ranges or presumed male sex. There have been issues for trans-identified men too but unsurprisingly it is the women who have suffered the most due to these policies.

Fortunately the NHS Core Information Standard has been updated to make 'sex at birth' a mandatory data item, with the option to record gender identity separately for patients who feel they have one.

(I don't personally believe in gender identity but recognise it is a genuinely held belief for many trans-identified people and also that it could be helpful information in the context of an altered body due to medicalisation.)

The implementation guidance references in the comment above can be found here.

It's "troubling and distasteful" to recognise that biological sex is important for medical treatment for trans people?

I'm sorry if trans people are being caused genuine upset by it, but it's absolutely essential that health services know people's biological sex. Do trans people understand that their genes affect how well their liver clears drugs and makes different drug doses of many drugs essential depending on whether you are male or female?

It's a genuine issue, we're not manufacturing faux concern for butch women who may get funny looks when they use the women's loos, which is what the trans argument is for using women's spaces.

There's arguably issues for all of us when it comes to data collection, particularly with unusual conditions when one man wrongly identified as a woman could completely skew results on disease outcomes, treatment, surgery, genetics, and so on.

Good start. Now keep going.

As to gender ideologists won't like it - no, they don't like their fantasies being challenged by reality, but that's just tough.

It is cruel to continue lying to people about the reality of their lives.

I suspect that the answer to the question about why 'sex at birth' rather than just sex is that some out there are deluded into believing that they have actually changed biological sex so if asked their sex a trans woman might answer female (inaccurately) - but sex at birth would have to be answered male which is more accurate... (there are few babies popping out who have already identified as the opposite sex!)

Well-adjusted trans people don't have problems recognising that they need to be treated according to their sex by medical professionals. That doesn't mean those professionals can't also use their preferred pronouns, of course; but as far as medical diagnoses and treatments, sex is what matters.

Non-well-adjusted trans people need mental support and therapy so they become well-adjusted.

The majority of well adjusted trans (and non trans people) would prefer to have autonomy over what personal/ sensitive information is shared within their health records. This is a perfectly reasonable desire. Birth sex is deeply personal, sensitive and confidential information for the majority of trans people and a requirement that it be documented is unacceptable .

Its been going on for a long time.

In 2010, the government had a policy to abolished mixed sex wards. The NHS told them that this would be difficult because they hold the information as gender, not sex. So an individual could always change their sex/gender on records. The government issued the policy anyway.

It didnt matter if the field was named sex or gender, it was treated as a self defined gender or sex depending on patient. Basically, the NHS knew it couldn't plan for single sex wards, because they didnt know the sex of the patient on records.

There are documents going back to the 1990 supporting people being able to change their records.

“Birth sex is deeply personal, sensitive and confidential information”

If a patient wishes to have an accurate diagnosis of their health, the onus is on them to provide accurate and full details to any HCP who needs them.

No patient should be putting themselves in a position of misdiagnosis because they believe that “Birth sex is deeply personal, sensitive and confidential information” and they have not given it. They risk their lives in doing so, and risk wasting scarce health resources with misdiagnosis.

There's nothing personal or confidential about birth sex. It is literally the very first thing anyone knows about you, before your name, your age, or anything else. Yes, even for trans people, very few of whom pass well enough to be able to hide their birth sex, even in casual interactions.

Birth sex is also medically required to properly diagnose and treat someone. As such, it is perfectly reasonable that its documentation should be required. How else are medical professionals supposed to work? "I won't tell you what you need to know about me, but I still expect you to do your job correctly:" Fuck that immature, overly entitled noise. Trans people can be just as mature as anybody else, and this is one area they can show it.

And this is why there've been so many scandals and so much harm done from erasing factual birth sex knowledge in the NHS (and elsewhere).

The NHS giving trans extremist lobby groups the power to influence healthcare to serve their own hyperbolic, self interested demands has undermined patient safety and accurate data capture that informs medical practice (and more). The removal of all these groups from being able to shape healthcare to suit their niche beliefs can't come soon enough.

”Fuck that immature, overly entitled noise.”

nailed it Seethlaw.

I still remember the news articles about the woman who didn’t disclose that she was female and who after tests being run etc went into labour in the hospital and had a stillborn infant. The hospital didn’t test for pregnancy.

Or the woman who was in hospital for weeks and nearly died with doctors trying different diagnoses and treatments - all for male people. The article implied the woman was a victim but that patient did not disclose that she was female.

What you seem to be wanting is a deeply irresponsible approach that will cause harm to trans people.
Why do you want to cause trans people physical harm?

I think this is another area of where misogyny lay in the information being imparted by groups.

This type of misinformation, “Birth sex is deeply personal, sensitive and confidential information”, puts female people at greater risk due to male and female dosages and treatments being different. It seems more likely to significantly risk female people’s health if they receive male dosages compared to vice versa.

But no male person who is using this type of statement :” Birth sex is deeply personal, sensitive and confidential information”, seems to understand this. Probably because they are not female in any way but believe that they are

Don’t be silly. A requirement that medical records need to show sex is universal not a special punishment for “trans people”. I know the trans lobby likes to handwave away biological sex as totally unimportant to anything (despite often taking drugs and having surgery to superficially appear more like the biological sex that they “identify” as) but male and female bodies are different and often need different care and treatment.

Ugh. Transitioning is hard enough; why would people make it even harder on themselves by taking such risks? It's not even a rhetorical question at this point: why would anyone place themselves in mortal danger rather than divulge they are trans? Are they ashamed? Are they paranoid that their HCPs are going to turn all nasty on them? Are they so unsure of their trans identity that they need absolutely constant validation or they crumble? What?? I don't get it...

Birth sex is deeply personal, sensitive and confidential information for the majority of trans people and a requirement that it be documented is unacceptable .

Short answer. Tough shit! Suck it up.

Long answer. Your birth sex is put on the NHS record that is created for you on the day you are born. It's going to be recorded whether you find it acceptable or not.

BTW I don't understand why birth sex is deeply personal, sensitive & confidential information for the majority of trans people. Most trans people are forever banging on about being trans & it's hardly a secret for the majority of trans people as their birth sex is obvious.

I have a rule of thumb for being a responsible and ethical person: it is deeply problematic to tell adults with full legal capacity what causes them harm when doing so directly contradicts their own account of what causes them harm.

Can you tell me why disclosing one's sex should cause anyone harm? I mean it, it's a serious question: what's the problem with saying, "I'm trans, I was born fe/male" ?