The Irish Health Service Executive (HSE) has announced plans to refine its care for gender dysphoria, an unease a person feels about their assigned gender identity. Ireland’s healthcare provisions for trans people have been rated the worst in the European Union, and the HSE’s new model of care is aimed at addressing these issues. The HSE is creating a multi-disciplinary team to update its treatment model due to reported developments in the understanding of gender dysphoria.
Chief clinical officer, Dr. Colm Henry, presented a report to the HSE executive management committee explaining that the team will be led by a clinician from a relevant speciality. The epidemiology of gender dysphoria is changing, and Ireland is among 15 other countries that are looking at their models of care. Currently, Ireland predominantly refers gender dysphoria cases to the National Gender Service (NGS), where hormones can be administered.
However, rising waiting times have been a major concern, with some people having to wait years before their first NGS appointment. The new model of care aims to establish a multi-disciplinary model of care, covering primary, secondary, and tertiary services to update and replace the current system. The objective is to have an entirely domestic service.
Transgender Europe, a group of organisations that combat discrimination against trans people, surveyed experts across 27 countries and found that Ireland’s healthcare provisions for trans people warranted just one point out of a potential 12. The survey revealed that the waiting time for accessing healthcare could range “between 2½ and 10 years.” Trans and Intersex Pride Dublin (TIPD) added that with only one clinic in Ireland for trans adults, the current waiting time to be seen is estimated to be six years or more.
The HSE’s guidance to establish an improved model of care comes amid rising waiting times, which have become a major concern. TIPD has stated that trans people should be empowered to make decisions about their transition themselves. Ireland’s efforts to create a new model of care for gender dysphoria is a significant step towards better healthcare provisions for trans people.