POLICY: Gender Identity Healthcare Standards

There has been an increase in the number of people wishing to access specialist gender identity services in Scotland. There is recognition that services in Scotland would benefit from the development of national standards for gender identity healthcare. Scottish Government has committed to improving access to, and delivery of, gender identity services in Scotland. As part of this work, in September 2022, Healthcare Improvement Scotland was commissioned to develop national standards for adult and young people’s gender identity services.

RCN Scotland notes that the standards seek to enhance improvements in health and social care for those seeking to access specialist services in an area where demand has significantly increased in recent years. This change has been accompanied by increased public discussion and debate, which has unfortunately become controversial and divisive at times. Given this context, these Standards have been drafted in a sensitive way and appear to be, in general, comprehensive and clearly worded.