NHS Constitution change could see trans patients treated in rooms on their own

Hospital patients in England will have the right to request to be treated on single-sex wards under proposed changes to the NHS Constitution, with transgender people placed in rooms on their own.

The update “is about putting patients first”, ministers said, and includes plans to accommodate requests for same-sex intimate care.

But the British Medical Association warned the proposed changes could mean transgender and non-binary patients could “potentially find their access to vital NHS services limited”, while the Royal College of Nursing said changes to health policy should be done with patients “not unto them”.

The changes will also enshrine Martha’s Rule in the NHS Constitution in a bid to bolster patient safety.