16 April 2021
Alistair
E-mail:
[FYI request #14955 email]
Dear Alistair
Official Information Act (OIA) Requests
Your OIA request of 19 March 2021 to MidCentral District Health Board
(DHB) is acknowledged and has been passed on to me for a response.
The information you have requested follows.
•
Hormone Therapy
Could you please advise whether the following gender-
affirming healthcare services are funded by MDHB for
transgender patients and whether the services are currently
available.
Doctors in the Sexual Health Service do prescribe hormone therapy and
give guidance for General Practitioners and Nurse Practitioners to do so.
Could you please provide information about the process of
accessing those services that are available.
• Access to Sexual Health services is via a General Practitioner referral.
• Access to the Endocrinology Service is via a General Practitioner or
specialist referral.
•
Is care available on an Informed Consent basis?
Yes; MDHB accept referrals on this basis.
•
Specifically, is an assessment by a mental health professional
required in order to access gender-affirming healthcare
services? If so, which services?
Not routinely for adults. Work is in progress to provide mental health
support for those who request it.
Operations Executive, Acute & Elective Specialist Services
MidCentral District Health Board, PO Box 2056, Palmerston North 4440
Telephone (06) 356 9169
Page 2 of 2
•
In the case of hormone therapy, can primary health providers
prescribe hormones, or does this have to be initially approved
by an endocrinologist?
It is not known how many General Practitioners prescribe hormones
without specialist input. In the past certain preparations required
specialist endorsement, but these restrictions have largely been
removed.
•
Is any period of real-life experience required to access
hormone therapy?
This is considered on a case by case basis. Persistence of gender
dysphoria as per International Classification of Disease-11 classification
is used to assess readiness for hormone therapy rather than real life
experience. There is an emphasis on an individualised approach to
commencing gender affirming hormones.
Please note that this response, or an edited version of this response, may
be published on the MidCentral DHB website 10 working days after your
receipt of this response.
Yours sincerely
Lyn Horgan
Operations Executive
Acute & Elective Specialist Services