The UK Health Secretary is to announce a proposal banning trans patients from female hospital wards, along with reinstating ‘sex specific’ language in NHS materials, according to reports.
Under the proposed changes, trans patients can be housed in separate accommodation or their own rooms. Patients will have the right to share a ward with people of the same biological sex.
Maya Forstater, the executive director of campaign group Sex Matters, has praised the plans, telling the Telegraph :This is fantastic news – the return of common sense.’
The Daily Mail reports: Steve Barclay will unveil the plans to push back against ‘wokery’ in the health service amid concerns that women’s rights are being sidelined.
The move will also see ‘sex-specific’ language return to the NHS, meaning terms such as breastfeeding will no longer be replaced by ‘chestfeeding’.
Mr Barclay said: ‘We need a common-sense approach to sex and equality issues in the NHS. That is why I am announcing proposals for clearer rights for patients.
‘And I can confirm that sex-specific language has now been fully restored to online health advice pages about cervical and ovarian cancer and the menopause.
‘It is vital that women’s voices are heard in the NHS and the privacy, dignity and safety of all patients are protected.’
The changes will give men and women the right to share wards with people of the same biological sex and have intimate care only from those of the same sex, The Daily Telegraph reported last night.
A source close to Mr Barclay told the newspaper: ‘The Secretary of State is fed up with this agenda and the damage it’s causing, language like “chestfeeding”, talking about pregnant “people” rather than women. It exasperates the majority of people, and he is determined to take action.
‘He is concerned that women’s voices should be heard on healthcare and that too often wokery and ideological dogma is getting in the way of this.’
The proposals follow 2021 NHS guidance that said trans patients could be placed on single-sex wards on the basis of the gender with which they identified.
Mr Barclay will use his speech to the Conservative conference to announce a consultation on changes to the NHS constitution in order to strengthen protection for women.
