A statement from Anne Health on the pausing of surgical care through the Welsh Gender Service

We are aware of the decision by the NHS Wales Joint Commissioning Committee to pause all surgical referrals and scheduled operations through the Welsh Gender Service while an independent clinical review takes place.

This is a developing story and we will be sharing a fuller response shortly. In the meantime, we want every trans+ person in Wales, and everyone who loves and supports them, to know that we see what’s happening and we are not looking away.

Some patients found out their surgery was cancelled with only hours’ notice, after being told they were ready and approved for care. People who had cleared every hurdle the system put in front of them are now being asked to wait indefinitely, with no clear end date and no clear reason beyond a comparison of referral numbers between Wales and England. This is not how you run a safe health service for anyone, especially an already vulnerable community.

NHS trans+ healthcare in the UK is already agonisingly slow. Adding an open-ended pause on top of years-long waits is reckless. This is cruelty dressed up as governance, and it will do lasting damage to people’s mental health, their sense of safety, and their trust in the NHS.

We stand with everyone affected by this decision, and with the Welsh LGBTQ+ organisations already pushing back against it. NHS Wales owes these patients honest answers, a timeline, and a way back to the care they were promised.

If you want to take action now:

• Write to your Member of the Senedd through WriteToThem
• Contact Welsh Government ministers directly
• Check in with the trans+ people in your life. This news lands hard, even for those not directly affected.

You are not imagining how serious this is. We will share more as soon as we can.