Trans youth healthcare update

In November 2024 we wrote to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing Chris Picton MP and Local Health Network CEOs to provide an update on gender affirming care interstate and offer our support to help the State Government implement the Statewide Gender Diversity Model of Care.

We highlighted two significant developments interstate:

Women’s and Children’s Health Network response

We received a response from the CEO of Women’s and Children’s Health Network (WCHN) in mid-December 2024 that stated:

WCHN has implemented the MoC across its Gender Diversity Service since release in 2023. WCHN are currently undertaking a review of the implementation to ensure care provided is in line with the MoC and is the best evidence-based care for young people attending the service.

It is expected this review will be completed by early 2025 with any outcomes impacting the overarching MoC to be shared with the Minister and the Department for Health and Wellbeing.

– Rebecca Graham, Chief Executive Officer, Women’s and Children’s Health Network (WCHN)

Our thoughts and next steps

We welcome news that the model of care has been implemented within WCHN. This model was developed between 2021-2023 through extensive consultation with trans health consumers, parents of trans children and health practitioners working in the field, and seeks to align with clinical guidelines and standards of care available at the time.

We have not been informed of the amount of funding or staffing allocated to the service. We will seek assurance from the State Government that the model has been appropriately resourced with funding and staffing to ensure services are available for trans and gender diverse young people who need them. Funding of $5.2m each year for the Queensland Children’s Gender Services provides a reasonable comparator that the State Government could apply to the size and scale of services at WCHN.

We have reservations regarding WCHN’s decision to review the implementation to ensure care provided is in line with the model of care. Trans young people and their supports must be provided with confidence that they are receiving the best evidence-based care available. This can only be achieved by ensuring any review of clinical practice is guided by clinicians who are experts in the field and informed by the experiences of consumers who understand the patient journey first hand.

As such we will seek further information about the review process and assurance that it encompasses the views of consumers receiving services, health professionals providing services and clinical researchers experts in the field.

To get involved and for more information, check out our work on gender affirming healthcare.

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