DHB gender-affirming healthcare services

Gloria Fraser made this Official Information request to South Canterbury District Health Board

The request was successful.

From: Gloria Fraser

Tēnā koutou,

I am writing to request information about the gender-affirming healthcare services provided by the South Canterbury District Health Board. The DHB Gender Reassignment Services Stocktake in October 2015 indicated that the South Canterbury District Health Board previously did not provide gender affirming healthcare services (see the Briefing on GRS attached to this previous request https://fyi.org.nz/request/7586-grs-wait...).

Could you please advise whether the following gender-affirming healthcare services are funded by the South Canterbury District Health Board for transgender patients, and whether the services are currently available:

- Hormone therapy
- Mastectomy
- Hysterectomy
- Orchidectomy
- Facial hair removal
- Breast augmentation
- Voice training

Could you please provide information about the process of accessing those services that are available?

- Specifically, is an assessment by a mental health professional required in order to access gender-affirming healthcare services? If so, which services?
- In the case of hormone therapy, can primary health providers prescribe hormones, or does this have to be initially approved by an endocrinologist?
- Is any period of real life experience required to access surgery?

Finally, could you please advise what the process is if transgender patients require one of the above services, but the South Canterbury District Health Board does not offer this service? Does the South Canterbury District Health Board currently fund patients to travel to other areas to access this healthcare?

If any part of my request is unclear, please don't hesitate to contact me.

If any of the information that I have requested is unavailable or would be difficult to retrieve, but similar information might be readily available, I would be happy to discuss altering or refining my request.

Ngā mihi,
Gloria Fraser

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From: Gloria Fraser

Kia ora,

I made this request to the South Canterbury DHB on May 23rd regarding gender-affirming healthcare.

I have not yet received a response to my request. Could someone please follow up with this?

Ngā mihi,
Gloria Fraser

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From: Teresa Heap
South Canterbury District Health Board

My apologies Gloria I have missed the deadline - I will get onto it now and see why the no-one answered it.

Kind regards
Teresa

Teresa Heap
Executive Assistant to CEO
South Canterbury District Health Board
Private Bag 911, Timaru
DDI. 03 687 2201

-----Original Message-----
From: Gloria Fraser [mailto:[FOI #7912 email]]
Sent: Wednesday, 27 June 2018 4:35 a.m.
To: Teresa Heap <[email address]>
Subject: Re: Official Information request - DHB gender-affirming healthcare services

Kia ora,

I made this request to the South Canterbury DHB on May 23rd regarding gender-affirming healthcare.

I have not yet received a response to my request. Could someone please follow up with this?

Ngā mihi,
Gloria Fraser

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #7912 email]

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers

If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA page.

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Statement of confidentiality:

This e-mail message and any accompanying attachments may contain information that is IN-CONFIDENCE and subject to legal and medical privilege.
If you are not the intended recipient, do not read, use, disseminate, distribute or copy this message or attachment.
If you received this email in error, please notify the sender immediately and delete this message.
SOUTH CANTERBURY DISTRICT HEALTH BOARD reserves the right to monitor all email communications through its network. Any views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender, except where, the message states otherwise and the sender is authorised to state them to be the views of any such entity.
#####################################################################################

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From: Teresa Heap
South Canterbury District Health Board

Hi Gloria

Just to let you know that I am busy chasing the answers for you and once again apologise - we pride ourselves on getting answers through as soon as we can but I completely messed this one up.

I hope you have a lovely weekend and I will get the answers to you as soon as possible.

Kind regards
Teresa

-----Original Message-----
From: Teresa Heap
Sent: Wednesday, 27 June 2018 7:53 a.m.
To: 'Gloria Fraser' <[FOI #7912 email]>
Subject: RE: Official Information request - DHB gender-affirming healthcare services

My apologies Gloria I have missed the deadline - I will get onto it now and see why the no-one answered it.

Kind regards
Teresa

Teresa Heap
Executive Assistant to CEO
South Canterbury District Health Board
Private Bag 911, Timaru
DDI. 03 687 2201

-----Original Message-----
From: Gloria Fraser [mailto:[FOI #7912 email]]
Sent: Wednesday, 27 June 2018 4:35 a.m.
To: Teresa Heap <[email address]>
Subject: Re: Official Information request - DHB gender-affirming healthcare services

Kia ora,

I made this request to the South Canterbury DHB on May 23rd regarding gender-affirming healthcare.

I have not yet received a response to my request. Could someone please follow up with this?

Ngā mihi,
Gloria Fraser

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #7912 email]

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers

If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA page.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

#####################################################################################
Statement of confidentiality:

This e-mail message and any accompanying attachments may contain information that is IN-CONFIDENCE and subject to legal and medical privilege.
If you are not the intended recipient, do not read, use, disseminate, distribute or copy this message or attachment.
If you received this email in error, please notify the sender immediately and delete this message.
SOUTH CANTERBURY DISTRICT HEALTH BOARD reserves the right to monitor all email communications through its network. Any views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender, except where, the message states otherwise and the sender is authorised to state them to be the views of any such entity.
#####################################################################################

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From: Gloria Fraser

Kia ora Teresa,

Thanks for chasing this up! I know it's easy for things to fall through the cracks sometimes :) Looking forward to hearing from you.

Ngā mihi,
Gloria

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From: Gloria Fraser

Kia ora Theresa,

Just checking in on this again - does South Canterbury have a response to my request?

Ngā mihi nui,
Gloria

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From: Teresa Heap
South Canterbury District Health Board

Hi there

 

I will be in meetings most of today Friday 27 July, I will respond to your
emails as soon as possible but it may not be until later this afternoon.

 

Thanks

Teresa

 

Teresa Heap

Executive Assistant to CEO

South Canterbury District Health Board

Private Bag 911, Timaru

DDI. 03 687 2201

 

 

 

#####################################################################################
Statement of confidentiality:

This e-mail message and any accompanying attachments may contain information that is IN-CONFIDENCE and subject to legal and medical privilege.
If you are not the intended recipient, do not read, use, disseminate, distribute or copy this message or attachment.
If you received this email in error, please notify the sender immediately and delete this message.
SOUTH CANTERBURY DISTRICT HEALTH BOARD reserves the right to monitor all email communications through its network. Any views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender, except where, the message states otherwise and the sender is authorised to state them to be the views of any such entity.
#####################################################################################

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From: Teresa Heap
South Canterbury District Health Board

Hi Gloria

Sorry I was out of the office quite a bit last week - I will get onto the staff concerned right now.

Regards
Teresa

-----Original Message-----
From: Gloria Fraser <[FOI #7912 email]>
Sent: Friday, 27 July 2018 12:01 p.m.
To: Teresa Heap <[email address]>
Subject: RE: Official Information request - DHB gender-affirming healthcare services

Kia ora Theresa,

Just checking in on this again - does South Canterbury have a response to my request?

Ngā mihi nui,
Gloria

-----Original Message-----

Hi Gloria

Just to let you know that I am busy chasing the answers for you and once again apologise - we pride ourselves on getting answers through as soon as we can but I completely messed this one up.

I hope you have a lovely weekend and I will get the answers to you as soon as possible.

Kind regards
Teresa

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #7912 email]

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers

If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA page.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

#####################################################################################
Statement of confidentiality:

This e-mail message and any accompanying attachments may contain information that is IN-CONFIDENCE and subject to legal and medical privilege.
If you are not the intended recipient, do not read, use, disseminate, distribute or copy this message or attachment.
If you received this email in error, please notify the sender immediately and delete this message.
SOUTH CANTERBURY DISTRICT HEALTH BOARD reserves the right to monitor all email communications through its network. Any views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender, except where, the message states otherwise and the sender is authorised to state them to be the views of any such entity.
#####################################################################################

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From: Gloria Fraser

Kia ora,

Just checking in on this once more - I've made this same request to each of the 20 DHBs and am only waiting on this response. This is part of a research project I'm working on so it's holding up the paper we are writing - if someone could send me a reply next week that would be much appreciated.

Ngā mihi,
Gloria Fraser

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From: Teresa Heap
South Canterbury District Health Board


Attachment Response letter.pdf
73K Download View as HTML


Hi there Gloria

 

Please find attached our OIA – if you need anything else please do not
hesitate to contact me.

 

Thank you for your patience.

 

Have a lovely weekend.

 

Kind regards

Teresa

 

 

Teresa Heap

Executive Assistant to CEO

South Canterbury District Health Board

Private Bag 911, Timaru

DDI. 03 687 2201

 

 

#####################################################################################
Statement of confidentiality:

This e-mail message and any accompanying attachments may contain information that is IN-CONFIDENCE and subject to legal and medical privilege.
If you are not the intended recipient, do not read, use, disseminate, distribute or copy this message or attachment.
If you received this email in error, please notify the sender immediately and delete this message.
SOUTH CANTERBURY DISTRICT HEALTH BOARD reserves the right to monitor all email communications through its network. Any views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender, except where, the message states otherwise and the sender is authorised to state them to be the views of any such entity.
#####################################################################################

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