NHS England has established a National Programme Board for Gender Services. The National Programme Board is responsible for leading the future delivery and configuration of specialised services for individuals with gender incongruence and dysphoria across England.

The Board guides NHS England’s approach to commissioning specialised gender dysphoria services, having regard to the impact of decisions to the populations of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland where necessary.

The scope of the board covers:

• specialised services for children and young people with gender incongruence
• specialised services for adults with gender dysphoria
• the relationship between primary care services and specialist clinics
• Interface with non-specialised services that form part of the NHS pathway of care.

The Board does not have decision-making powers but makes recommendations to the NHS England Specialised Commissioning National Commissioning Group to which it is accountable.

Membership

• Chair: Professor James Palmer – National Medical Director for Specialised Services
• Five patient/parent representatives
• Chair of NHS England Patient and Public Advisory Group for Specialised Services
• National Specialist Adviser for Adult Gender Dysphoria Services
• National Clinical Lead for Gender Dysphoria Surgery
• National LGBT Adviser
• Head of Highly Specialised Services
• Medical Director for Specialised Services (London Region)
• Head of Communications (Specialised Commissioning)
• Deputy Director for Clinical Services, NHS Arden and GEM Commissioning Support Unit
• Deputy Director of Finance, Specialised Commissioning (National)
• Senior Commissioning Manager (regional level)
• Commissioning representatives from: NHS Wales; NHS Scotland
• Secretariat: National Specialised Commissioning Team

Adult Gender Dysphoria Services Clinical Reference Group

The Clinical Reference Group for Adult Gender Dysphoria Services provides independent expert advice to the National Programme Board for Gender Dysphoria Services on the various aspects of the Board’s work.

The clinical members of the CRG are:

• (Chair) Dr Derek Glidden, Consultant Psychiatrist at Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and NHS England National Specialty Adviser for Gender Dysphoria Services (Adults)
• Ms Tina Rashid, Consultant Urological Surgeon at St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and NHS England National Clinical Lead for Surgery (Gender Dysphoria)
• Dr Laura Charlton, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
• Dr Christine Mimnagh, General Practitioner and Clinical Lead for Gender Dysphoria Services at Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust
• Dr Robert Wilson, Consultant in Public Health Medicine.

Adult gender dysphoria services

In 2018 we published two new service specifications for adult services, formed through a process of extensive stakeholder engagement and public consultation. You can read the analysis of responses and consultation report; and the service specifications:

• Gender identity services for adults; non-surgical interventions
• Gender identity services for adults; surgical interventions.

 Children and young people’s gender services

A full independent review of the service  was commissioned in 2020 and is currently ongoing. You can read the terms of reference for review of gender identity development service for children and adolescents. The service specification and clinical commissioning policy which will continue to guide the current GIDS service at the Tavistock & Portman Trust are available below:

• Gender identity development service for children and adolescent service specification
• Clinical commissioning policy for prescribing cross sex hormones

The new children and young people gender services will be commissioned against a new interim service specification available below:

• Interim service specification for specialist gender incongruence services for children and young people