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Fury as NHS trust likens patients worried about sharing loos with opposite sex to racists
The Department of Health says it is "very concerning"
BOSSES at an NHS trust have likened patients who object to sharing loos with people of the opposite sex to racists.
Internal advice says says “concerns alone” should not stop trans people being treated as their “acquired/affirmed” gender.
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Their guidelines on transgender care add: “Just as the trust will not adapt practice in light of racist concerns expressed as discomfort, so the trust will not adapt practice in light of transphobic concerns expressed as discomfort.
“This will include such things as use of toilets, changing facilities, and same sex accommodation.”
Last night the Department of Health said it was looking into the claim at Cambridge University Hospitals — which includes Addenbrooke’s and The Rosie hospital.
Social commentator James Esses said the trust was showing “complete disdain towards the safety of women by suggesting that concerns about males in female spaces are the same as racism”.
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He added: “Our NHS should be a bedrock of science, evidence and reality. Instead, it is forcing dangerous gender ideology upon staff and patients alike.”
Tory MP Nick Fletcher added: “This NHS policy document is one of the most shocking I have seen. It compares women who care about the privacy, dignity, and safety of vulnerable women patients, to racists.”
The Department of Health said: “This is very concerning. Biological sex matters, and patients should not have to share sleeping accommodation with others of the opposite sex and should have access to separate bathroom and toilet facilities.”
The row comes after The Sun told last week how the Royal Stoke Hospital displayed a banner featuring flags for 21 genders or sexualities.
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The Princess Royal University Hospital in Farnborough, Hants, spent £3,208 on its intersex-inclusive flag on a new bridge.
And Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust in Wiltshire refurbished four crossings with pride colours, costing up to £3,000.
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Cambridge University Hospitals — whose chief executive Roland Sinker earns nearly £300,000 — also advises staff to avoid gendered language.
A spokesperson said: “We reaffirm our support and commitment to staff and patients of all backgrounds. As a Trust, our aim is to establish a fully inclusive environment, where discrimination on any grounds does not exist.
"This means we continually review guidelines and consult with staff and patient groups, to ensure all those working and being cared for at CUH are treated with dignity, compassion and respect.”
The guidelines were due for renewal last year and it is understood they are being reviewed