Transgender women may be banned from women's NHS wards

Transgender people may be banned from single-sex hospital wards under plans to restore "common sense" in the NHS, the health secretary says.

Speaking at the Conservative party conference, Steve Barclay announced a consultation on strengthening the protections in place for women.

NHS guidance issued in 2021 said trans people may be placed on wards according to the gender they identify as. 

The change would stop that with trans people given their own rooms and areas. But doctors have questioned whether there are the facilities available to achieve that.

And the move would have to meet the legal threshold set by the Equality Act, which allows trans people to be excluded from single-sex spaces if there is a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim, such as privacy or safety.

Mr Barclay said he wanted to make sure the "dignity, safety and privacy" of all patients was respected, while the rights of women are protected.

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Source: BBC News, 3 October 2023