Cass Review – implications for Scotland: findings report

Annex B: The National Gender Identity Healthcare Reference Group / Stakeholder Engagement

The Scottish Government is committed to listening to and involving those people who have experience of accessing specialist gender identity healthcare in its policymaking decision process.

National Gender Identity Healthcare Reference Group

Established in early 2022, the National Gender Identity Healthcare Reference Group advises on the ongoing implementation of actions outlined in our 2021 Framework.

The Reference Group includes Health Board representation, LGBT organisations, clinicians, academics and people with lived experience of using gender identity healthcare.

This reference group is not a clinical oversight forum.

It brings together a wide range of stakeholders for the collective aim of improving provision of gender identity healthcare.

It is right that the specific recommendations from the Cass Review are considered by senior clinicians and not by the Reference Group.

Engagement with Lived Experience

Engagement with people who have experience of accessing, or waiting to access, these services is embedded through our national work to improve gender identity healthcare.

We have also put in place a Lived Experience Coordinator for this work to support engagement with people with lived experience across Scotland.

We will continue with this approach.

Engagement with LGBT Stakeholders

Engagement with stakeholders, including those that could be impacted by service or policy change, is standard practice in the public sector.

Health Boards and Integration Joint Boards have a statutory duty to involve people and communities in the planning and development of care services, and in decisions that will significantly affect how services are run.