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Information for GPs, nurses, and other clinicians

General guidance

The GMC have created a trans healthcare hub that gives information on how to treat trans and non-binary people. This is the most important information to read about how to support your patients.

BMJ subscribers can also access BMJ Best Practice - Gender dysphoria in adults.

Policies

Each nation has different policies for how patients should be treated.

Additionally, services across the UK will follow the Royal College of Psychiatrists Good Practice Guidelines for the Assessment and Treatment of Adults with Gender Dysphoria.

Some CCGs and Trusts have written local policies relating to gender diversity of patients and staff. You can find a large list of these on the genderarchive.org.uk website.

Specialist gender services

A number of specialist NHS services across the UK provide diagnosis and treatment to people experiencing issues related to gender. Some specialise in providing services to under-18s. A number of private specialist gender clinics are also available in the UK for patients who can afford this.

Full list of UK specialist gender services

Some specialist gender services have produced additional guidance for GPs. You can find a list of publications from these services including guidance on shared care and prescribing information on the genderarchive.org.uk website.

There is no need to refer adult patients to a local mental health team before making a referral to a specialist gender service. Young people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland may benefit from a referral to CAMHS first, but the services may be willing to accept a direct referral. Young people in Scotland can be referred (or self-refer) to Sandyford’s Young People’s Gender Service in the first instance.

It may be appropriate to prescribe hormone therapy before a patient has been seen by a specialist clinic. See our Accessing HRT without a diagnosis page for more information.

Updating medical records

If a patient wants to update their medical records to match a change in gender, name, or title, there is information on how they can do this in our Updating NHS patient details article.

Books

Further reading

You can find a detailed list of resources for doctors, nurses, psychologists, counsellors, and therapists on the the genderarchive.org.uk website.

Errors and omissions

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