In response to the Health Secretary's plan to ban trans women from being treated in female hospital wards in England
_{posted by Erin Marsh
on 05th October 2023}

It’s important that everyone served by our NHS is treated with the respect and dignity they deserve and their individual needs are personally assessed and met appropriately in line with clinical need with services delivered in line with the Equality Act and other related laws and regulations.

All women and girls deserve health care of a high quality provided on a timely basis. Such health care should include the needs of transgender and non-binary people in an inclusive manner.

Trans women need to access prostrate screening services on an equal basis and trans men need to access pregnancy services on an equitable basis.

Presently, many NHS services are currently provided on a mixed gender basis which not all people are comfortable with. Where practical the NHS should give the choice of providing single gender services and in exceptional circumstances on a case by case basis where it is a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim objectively justified, transgender people and non-binary may be offered alternative treatment provision.

Any changes to the NHS Constitution need to undergo full consultation and remain compliant with the Equality Act for both the protected characteristics of gender reassignment and sex plus the Gender Recognition Act.

Yorkshire MESMAC believe the primary focus of the NHS is inclusive healthcare for all people.