IN-DEPTH: GENDER REASSIGNMENT SURGERY


TRANSITION MAKING THE


The number of gender reassignment surgery patients treated by the Trust has nearly doubled in five years. We look at the story behind the statistics.


C


hoosing to surgically change your body to better reflect your gender identity is not a decision taken lightly and it is


a long and sometimes difficult process.


An extended wait can be especially hard for gender reassignment surgery patients. They will have spent at least two years undergoing mental health support, hormone treatment, speech and language therapy and other treatments while living in their preferred gender – all before being referred for surgery.


Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust is the only NHS provider of male to female gender reassignment surgery in the UK.


In June this year, NHS England confirmed that gender reassignment surgery would now be covered by the national waiting time standard for treatment to begin within 18 weeks of referral. Although the Trust is not currently meeting this standard – at the end of August 2016 the average wait was 55.5 weeks – a great deal of work is underway to ensure the target is met sustainably from March 2017.


Taking a look behind the statistics, Chloe Oliver, who recently had surgery at Charing Cross Hospital, and Roland Morley, her surgeon, share their stories.


Autumn 2016 CHLOE’S STORY


“I was six years old when I first realised that something was different about me,” says Chloe Oliver.


“It was the 1950s,” she says. “Things were very different then. There was no such thing as transgender. I could never have told anyone or I’d have been institutionalised and given electric convulsion therapy.” So instead, she struggled for most of her life to suppress her true identity and, for decades, lived as a man.


However in 2004, when her second marriage broke down, Chloe decided to begin her transition.


Chloe had been living as a female for eight years by the time she was referred to the gender identity clinic run by West London Mental Health NHS Trust to determine her suitability for surgery. “I had to prove I was living and working as a woman. It was a very worrying time. You think, what if I can’t convince them this is who I am? It was incredibly stressful and I know of friends who have suffered depression, addiction and even attempted suicide.” She waited 16 months for surgery after being referred on to our Trust. But despite the delays and hurdles, Chloe is full of praise for the team at Charing Cross who finally carried out her gender reassignment (vaginoplasty) surgery in June this year. “I can’t praise them highly enough for their care, treatment and attitude.” She is happier and more confident now that her body reflects her gender identity.


Chloe at home, celebrating after her surgery


“When you come out, you find out who your real friends are,” she explains. Though she was physically attacked after she began to identify as female, she insists there have been improvements in attitudes since then. “It can be hard and you still get the occasional snigger but most people take it in their stride.” So what advice would Chloe give to anyone struggling like she did? “Talking is key. Don’t bottle it up or try to battle your feelings alone. Changing your body to reflect your real gender isn’t quick or easy, but it is a longer, lonelier road trying to deal with it on your own.”


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