January 2024 update

Current status

As at 31 January 2024, there were 348 referrals on the active wait list for an first specialist assessment (FSA). 94 out of the 348 referrals have had their FSA.

11 surgeries have been performed in 2023, and an additional two surgeries were cancelled due to patient’s personal circumstances preventing surgery being undertaken. Several other additional patients declined surgery dates that had been scheduled, due to their personal circumstances.

The Service is currently reviewing groups of patients who were referred between October 2018 to December 2020, before a (FSA) can be offered.

As part of our ongoing waitlist review process, patients referred between January 2021 and December 2021 are being contacted by email and text to provide updated health and wellbeing questionnaires. Patients must have their General Practitioner (GP) complete the updated health and wellbeing questionnaire form to enable the service to have an accurate account of their current health status before an FSA can be offered. This is also as part of our waitlist review process.

The Service will now be declining and removing patients from the wait list if they do not meet the gender affirming genital surgery service FSA criteria, or they do not respond to either our attempts at contacting them or provide the GP completed information we request as part of the new review process. Affected patients and their GP's or referrers are being advised of this outcome. The Service will provide updates each quarter on any changes or progress made.

It is important that you contact us immediately if you decide you no longer want to be considered for an FSA/no longer want surgery, or if your email, home address, phone number or GP has changed. Email us at gender.surgery@health.govt.nz to let us know about any changes.

Wrap around health and wellbeing support for the Service

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is working closely with the service provider to improve service delivery, with increased provision of wrap around services. 

The wrap around services will include the establishment of several new roles to provide more intensive health and wellbeing support for patients on the waiting list for an FSA and/or preparing for surgery. 

 

New referrals to the service

New referrals for gender affirming genital surgery can be made by the person’s transgender health professional. This is normally an endocrinologist or a sexual health physician. In the Wellington and Christchurch areas only, a referral from a general practitioner with special expertise in transgender care may be accepted.

For referral acceptance to be considered patients need to:

  • meet the eligibility criteria set out in the Standards of Care for the Health of Transsexual, Transgender and Gender Nonconforming People, published by The World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) version seven. The Service is not currently accepting new referrals for patients being assessed under version eight. 
  • be eligible for publicly funded surgery and residing in New Zealand 
  • be physically and mentally fit to undertake a complex surgical procedure. This includes being a non-smoker(including nicotine based vapes and recreational drugs) having a BMI under 35 and good mental health and social support.
  • New referrals should note that even if your initial referral is accepted when your BMI is between 30 and 34, to proceed to surgery, a BMI under 30 is essential.

The Service is currently accepting new patients with a BMI less than 35, with the expectation that people with a BMI of between 30-35 will be working with their General Practitioner (GP) on a healthy weight management programme to reduce their BMI to below 30, with the goal of achieving a stable BMI of between 18.5-30 during the time they are waiting for an FSA with the surgeon.

 

The chart below sets out the number of new referrals received by quarter between January 2013 and 31 December 2023. Overall, 77 percent of the referrals are for feminising surgery and 23 percent are for masculinising surgery. The number of people referred to the waitlist increased by over 160 percent between October 2018 and 30 September 2020.

New referrals to the Service

A bar chart showing number of new referrals received by quarter between January 2013 and 30 September 2022 A bar chart showing number of new referrals received by quarter between January 2013 and 30 September 2022 A bar chart showing number of new referrals received by quarter between January 2013 and 30 September 2022