More than 1,200 people waiting for first appointment for gender-affirming surgery 

Transgender Equality Network Ireland CEO Tina Kolos Orbán: 'As society becomes ... more welcoming to transpeople, more and more transpeople will feel safe to come out and be openly themselves.' Pic: Teni.ie

More than 1,200 people seeking to have gender-affirming surgery or medical interventions are on a waiting list to have their first appointment, with some forced to wait for up to five years before they are seen.

The National Gender Service works with people over the age of 17 who wish to have gender-affirming medical or surgical interventions. It includes medical and mental health services, and also provides supports in education and other areas.

The service is not adequately funded to meet the huge growth in demand, a spokeswoman said.

“Waiting times will continue to increase in the absence of additional investment,” she said. “There are now over 1,200 people on the waiting list.

“The National Gender Service is aware of concerns about increasing waiting times. At present, waiting times are over three years, which is clearly an unacceptably long wait time.”

The service has sought support from the HSE and is calling for dedicated investment and recruitment to help reduce waiting times to less than 12 months.

Teni health officer Noah Halpin: 'A lot of people on those lists would feel their mental health is deteriorating.' Picture: Noah Halpin/Twitter

However, the spokesperson said, despite submitting business cases in 2020, the service is still waiting for a decision.

A HSE spokesman said information on progress around those submissions could not be supplied until a later date.

Responding to the figures, Transgender Equality Network Ireland (Teni) health officer Noah Halpin said a key concern is the lack of support for people as they wait.

“A lot of people on those lists would feel their mental health is deteriorating. The waiting time is much more than three and a half years,” he said.

We have people contacting us and they have been on the list for five and half years now and haven’t had their first appointment. 

Mr Halpin is concerned, too, that people may turn to the black market to access hormone treatment if they are not seen in a timely fashion.

Teni CEO Tina Kolos Orbán said the data shows the number of people coming forward for help is increasing. Last year there were 800 people waiting for assessment.

“Transpeople are more visible, so it’s not a reflection of growing numbers but it’s a reflection of growing visibility,” they said.

“As society becomes more aware of transpeople and more welcoming to transpeople, more and more transpeople will feel safe to come out and be openly themselves. 

"This is why the waiting lists are rapidly growing.”

The HSE has now restored funding to Teni, following a suspension linked to the failure to file complete financial accounts by May.

Teni submitted draft audited accounts to the HSE before a meeting in late October. Following this meeting it submitted signed financial statements, accounts, and a governance review plan, a HSE spokesman said.