Gender Plus Hormone Clinic Rated Outstanding by CQC
We are absolutely delighted to announce that the Gender Plus Hormone Clinic (GPHC), has been rated Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in its first inspection.
When we set up GPHC it was our ambition for it to be the first service of its kind to be successfully registered with the UK’s regulator of health and social care - something which was achieved in January 2024. The subsequent inspection is a requirement of registration within the first 12 months of operation.
In the report, which is available to read in full on the CQC website, our clinic was recognised for its robust approach in all of the key areas, scoring a significant 96% in the Caring category.
The report praised the way in which the clinic works proactively with its multi-disciplinary team, which involves psychosocial experts from our team at Gender Plus and other disciplines as required, whose combined role is to determine a patient’s best course of treatment.
In addition, GPHC’s collaborative approach with partners including NHS GPs, with whom the service provides shared-care solutions, was recognised. Shared-care ensures GPs have access to the necessary expertise in this specialist area of healthcare, while providing a joined-up experience for the patient in the management of their treatment. The practise of shared-care also reduces the cost for patients who, without access to independent services, face NHS waiting lists that stretch into years.
Both Gender Plus and the Gender Plus Hormone Clinic were set up to narrow the ever-expanding gap that exists when it comes to accessing safe, effective and well-led healthcare for this patient population. We have pooled our collective expertise in working with trans people and their support networks to create a service which really listens and responds to their needs, delivering the healthcare trans people deserve. We are so grateful to our team, led by Nurse consultant Paul Carruthers, for their tireless work in providing the best possible care to this community.
The report includes multiple first-hand accounts from service users who consistently described their positive experiences and how they felt GPHC went “over and above to provide the best quality treatment to manage their gender dysphoria”. It also highlights our desire to positively contribute to public discourse around gender healthcare and to ensure we play a leading role in developing research which will shape the future of transgender healthcare.
The CQC process was rigorous, with only 13% of providers in our category (Community Health Services) achieving an Outstanding in 2021 we knew the bar was set extremely high. However, it gave us the opportunity to really showcase what transgender healthcare can and should look like. Our process and everything that comes with the way in which we administer our approach to holistic healthcare, is geared towards ensuring the best outcomes for patients’ mental and physical wellbeing.
This is just the beginning, we will continue to advocate for access to care for this community and to strive for continuous improvement in transgender healthcare.
CQC Inspectors found:
Staff had training in key skills, understood how to protect people from abuse, and managed safety well.
The service worked with people and their families to understand and manage risks.
All people underwent comprehensive psychological assessments prior to being accepted into the clinic.
The design of the environment was appropriate for the care being provided. If people didn’t want to wait in the waiting room, there was a separate quiet space with a comfortable sofa for them to wait.
The clinic areas were very clean, well-organised and had suitable furnishings which were well-maintained.
People undergoing treatment were given a lot of information about their medicines both verbally and in print.
Staff had excellent links with external services to ensure people received joined up care.
Anonymous patient and parent testimonials taken from the CQC report:
“As a mum, I will be forever grateful for what they have done for my daughter because gender affirming care is lifesaving care.”
“The experience has been amazing, and I have felt genuinely cared for by people whose only goal is for me to make a safe and healthy transition.”
“We cannot be positive enough, it is such careful, thoughtful, considered and reflective care at every stage.”
“There has been a strong emphasis on my health throughout the process including pre-treatment blood and health checks and an on-going monitoring of these.”
“Everything feels very joined up and focussed on the goal of delivering the best and safest outcomes for me.”
“They have signposted me to online resources of which GPs do shared care and made me aware of alternatives. It is really nice to go to a clinic where they are just so caring and understanding.”
“I felt that the team all worked very well and had my best interests at heart and really wanted to help me. They listened to what I needed and made me feel very reassured and informed.”
“Having a service like this, people you feel you can just relax with, it’s so helpful. When you’re fighting everywhere, when you’re fighting with your GP about treatment, it just makes you uncomfortable going to them for anything else. Whereas with GPHC I don’t have to justify contacting them, I don’t feel silly and I feel safe to say anything to them, it’s easy.”