Doctors are being asked to tick whether patients have a penis or a vagina in ‘nonsense’ new NHS transgender form
- Some staff have described the forms as ‘insane,’ ‘bizarre’ and ‘nonsensical’
NHS doctors have hit out at a new ‘nonsensical’ form they are being asked to fill out which involves ticking whether patients have a penis or vagina on a new £450 million IT system.
The ‘sexual orientation and gender identity form’ reportedly being rolled out at some hospitals is part of a person’s Electronic Patient Record (EPR).
The form includes questions about sexual orientation, gender, sex assigned at birth, preferred pronouns, if they have transitioned and if so to what extent and whether they have any plans to change gender in the future.
Medics are asked to fill in what ‘organs the patient currently has,’ ‘organs present at birth,’ ‘organs surgically enhanced or constructed’ and ‘organs hormonally enhanced,’ according to the Telegraph.
Doctors are given a list of possible organs the patient has which includes a penis, vagina, uterus, cervix, breasts, prostate, testes and ovaries.
But some staff have described the forms as ‘insane,’ ‘bizarre’ and ‘nonsensical’ from a scientific point of view.
The ‘sexual orientation and gender identity form’ reportedly being rolled out at some hospitals is part of a person’s Electronic Patient Record (EPR) (stock image)
And one medic told the newspaper they were concerned that ‘it is integrated into a multi-million pound electronic patient record system on the NHS but people don’t know about it.’
Helen Joyce, author and director of advocacy at Sex Matters, believes it will damage patient care and has argued ‘activists within the NHS have attempted to impose it on the UK’s healthcare system by stealth’.
MailOnline has contacted NHS England for comment on the new forms.
The forms are said to be part of a new American software called Epic which hit the headlines last week after the Mail on Sunday revealed newborn babies were having their ‘gender identity’ recorded rather than biological sex by mistake when they were discharged from some leading NHS hospitals.
Midwives filling in forms for babies born at London’s Guy’s and Thomas’ Hospital and King’s College Hospital only had the option to select ‘gender identity’ on the new IT system.
But NHS bosses claimed there had been a ‘system error’ with the US-made technology, and vowed to revert to recording a baby’s sex, after they were approached for comment.
Women’s rights campaigners however said the move was yet another chilling sign of transgender activism’s influence within the NHS that has led to rows over other language changes such as removing the word ‘women’ or ‘mother’ from some health services.
Read more: Now hospitals record newborn babies’ ‘gender identity’ rather than their sex when discharged from some leading hospitals
Hospitals have always kept official records of babies’ biological sex. The discharge summaries contain vital health information about the birth and form part of a patient’s permanent NHS health record. The forms are sent to the child’s GP, health visitors and other hospitals for post-natal care.
But a whistle-blowing midwife working at the two London hospitals said they had been forced to record a child’s ‘gender identity’ instead of sex on the forms in recent weeks.
The changes came in as part of new computer system EPIC which went live across several London teaching hospitals. At least six more NHS trusts nationwide are to roll out the system, which will cost taxpayers £450million over the next 15 years.
The midwife said: ‘The hospital discharge summary is an important document for the baby to receive the best care from the whole NHS team.
‘But we are talking about newborn and very young babies here. What on earth has gender identity as a concept got to do with them? It’s ludicrous.’
A spokesman for the hospitals thanked The Mail on Sunday for highlighting the ‘unfortunate language’ which it said had come as standard in the new computer system.
They said: ‘This error is being rectified as quickly as possible, and we apologise for any confusion caused.
‘We are changing it to read ‘sex’ for the newborn hospital discharge summary.’
MailOnline has contacted Epic for comment on the new gender identity forms.
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