Our Ref: PBC/KRW/CT

3 November, 2006

Dear Colleague

Good Practice Guidelines for the Assessment & Treatment of Gender Dysphoria

I am pleased to provide you with a copy of the latest draft document of the proposed standards of care for patients with gender dysphoria receiving support and medical care in the UK (version 8.3b). This is a document that has been developed in conjunction with representatives from a number of sources including the medical Royal Colleges, professional societies and Associations and representatives from user groups and other interested parties. The list of core representatives is listed in the appendix of the document.

The document now has the broad support of the substantial majority of the representatives on the core committee and many changes have been incorporated over the consultation period which I hope will allow the document to continue to have wide support from all interested parties. It is to be circulated now as part of a wider consultation. At this stage we realise that there are still many comments to receive and consider and the document is not to be considered as the definitive or final document. We have received some feedback during the most recent consultation through the medical colleges which will be considered with all other comments received after the three month consultation. We appreciate that this specialty of medicine has a strong divergence of opinion about aetiology, limitations of traditional medical care and the need for greater patient led ownership of the transition pathway. We see the standards as a minimum and so some parts are less specific than others. The document is written in such a way that core concepts form the main document and specific details which may vary over short periods of time are appendices to the document which may be updated and changed on a more frequent basis depending on need.

I look forward to constructive comments and suggestions. Please send them to Candace Gillies-Wright at the Royal College of Psychiatrists (17 Belgrave Square, London SW1X 8PG; email cgillies-wright@rcpsych.ac.uk) who are the hosting medical college for the guidelines. This consultation will close on 16 February 2007. After the consultation the committee will reconvene to look at, consider and discuss all of the responses received before issuing a final document.

Yours sincerely

Dr Kevan R Wylie MD DSM FRCPsych
Consultant in Sexual Medicine & Consultant Psychiatrist
Chair, RCPsych Working Group, Standards of Care, Gender Dsyphoria, UK