Trans women will be banned from female hospital wards under Health Secretary Steve Barclay's plans to restore "common sense" in the NHS. The changes would give men and women the right to be cared for on wards only shared by people of their own biological sex, and to have intimate care provided by those of the same sex. The plan would mean the return of "a common-sense approach to sex and equality", ensuring that women's dignity was protected and their voices heard.
The proposals follow concerns from patients and staff about biological men being allowed on to women's hospital wards. In 2021, NHS guidance said trans patients could be placed on single-sex wards on the basis of the gender with which they identified. Mr. Barclay will also announce the return of "sex-specific" language to the NHS after references to women were expunged from advice on menopause and diseases such as cervical and ovarian cancer.
Women's campaign groups hailed the changes as "fantastic news" and a return to "reality-based thinking." He has become frustrated by "ideological dogma" in the health service, where terms such as "breastfeeding" have been replaced by "chestfeeding" and guidance refers to pregnant "people" rather than women.
Barclay will use his speech to the Conservative Party conference in Manchester on Tuesday to announce a consultation on changes to the NHS constitution, which sets out patients' rights, in order to strengthen protection for women. Under the changes, trans patients would be housed in separate accommodation, which could mean their own rooms. A report by the Policy Exchange think tank warned that NHS trusts were compromising women's rights by providing same-sex intimate care based not on a staff member's biological sex but their self-declared gender identity.
Dr. Louise Irvine, who co-chairs the Clinical Advisory Network on Sex and Gender, welcomed the changes, saying that biological sex does matter when it comes to healthcare. She said that trans people should not be treated with respect and have their health care needs met too, but there should be a recognition of the importance of biological sex to ensure women get the care they need.
Mr. Barclay will also use Tuesday's speech to announce a major expansion of the NHS workforce, with three new medical schools at the University of Worcester, the University of Chester, and Brunel University in Uxbridge. He will also announce a new £30 million fund to boost adoption of new technology across the NHS.
On Tuesday, the British Medical Association will target the Tory conference with a rally of protesting doctors, with consultants demanding a pay increase of at least 11%, and junior doctors calling for a rise of more than a third.
This article is republished from The Telegraph. Read Original Article.
