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Gender Service

Sandyford offers a comprehensive gender service available to young people who are uncomfortable or uncertain about their gender identity or expression, and adult transgender and non-binary people who are considering feminising or masculinising treatment.

Information for GPs

Information to support GPs can be found on our Clinical Advice page. This includes links to  Sandyford Gender Service Referral Information.

Gender Affirming Hormone Prescribing and Monitoring Guidance

The guidance relates to the provision of affirming hormone treatment for feminising and masculinising gender transgender, non binary and gender diverse (TGD) people. The guidance development group convened had diverse professional and lived experience.  The document outlines what is currently considered best practice for safe and effective care as applicable within NHS Scotland for endocrine management and fertility preservation in this field.

Service Update

Young Person's Gender Service Update

As is the case across NHSGGC our services are currently facing significant challenges and these may affect our Gender service at Sandyford.  We apologise for any inconvenience and distress this may cause, and we wish to reassure you that all our services are open. Email enquiries will be dealt with but may take up to 2 weeks. If you are concerned about your mental health, please see the green box below for how to access mental health support.
There is no change to the service for those who are already attending the Young Persons Gender Service.
We wish to assure you that our small dedicated team are doing everything they can to continue to support our young people and the service pressures are being reviewed by the health board and nationally. In the meantime, we have up to date information regarding the waiting list available on this page. We very much hope we are able to update the website with positive news in the near future.

Adult Gender Service Update

As is the case across NHSGGC our services are currently facing significant challenges and these may affect our Gender service at Sandyford.  We apologise for any inconvenience and distress this may cause, and we wish to reassure you that all our services are open. Email enquiries will be dealt with but may take up to 2 weeks.

We are sorry that the waiting list for a new appointment is extremely long and wish to assure you that our small dedicated team are doing everything they can to offer the best possible service and the service pressures are being reviewed by the health board and nationally.
If you are concerned about your mental health, please see below for how to access mental health support
There is no change to the service for those who are already attending the GGC Adult Gender Service.
In the meantime, we have up to date information regarding the waiting list available on this page. We very much hope we are able to update the website with positive news in the near future.

Testosterone Supply Issues

Management of Patients on Out of Stock Testosterone Preparations Prescribed as Gender Affirming Hormone Treatment.

Various forms of testosterone can be used as masculinising hormone treatment for transgender and gender diverse individuals. General prescribing advice is available on the National Gender Identity Clinical Network for Scotland website.

Patients wishing to switch medication because of supply problems should contact their GP practice in the first instance. The practice’s prescribing support pharmacist may have information about the supply chain and they may be able to find a similar product. Information on alternative options is provided below. Contact your gender service if you need further advice or assistance with switching.

Sustanon® Injection 250mg/ml

The advantages of Sustanon® are that it is the only product in the UK that is specifically licensed for use as gender affirming hormone treatment, and it can be administered at home, usually into the thigh, by the patient or a partner/family member who have been taught intramuscular injection technique. Patients who prefer to continue on a medium-acting or a home-administered injection may switch temporarily to testosterone enantate 250mg/ml at the same dose and injection interval. Testosterone enantate is rarely used as a long term treatment because it is slightly shorter acting and more expensive than Sustanon®.

Patients willing to switch to gel or Nebido® injection should be encouraged to do so, as these preparations are associated with less fluctuation in testosterone levels, more even mood, and lower risk of blood clots. The gender service can provide help with monitoring until the optimal dose is established.

Nebido Injection 1000mg/4ml

Nebido is a long-acting (approximately 12-16 weekly) injection containing testosterone undecanoate. Other testosterone undecanoate brands exist but Nebido® is the only brand marketed in the UK. Nebido must be administered by an appropriately trained person into the buttock muscle. Most patients on Nebido® will have started on a gel or Sustanon®. They can go back onto their previous dose. When starting back on Nebido® they may wish to have the first two injections 6 weeks apart, then resume their previous dose and injection interval.

Testosterone Gel

As there are several different brands of gel it will usually be possible to supply a different brand. Different brands of gel have different concentrations, and care should be taken to change the dosage instructions accordingly (see table 2 on p.10 and appendix 4 on p.33 of the Endocrine Guidance 

Contact the Adult or Young People’s Gender Service at Sandyford if you require further advice: adultgender.sandyford@ggc.scot.nhs.uk / youngpeoplegender.sandyford@ggc.scot.nhs.uk

Adult Gender Service Booklet

Young People's Gender Service Booklet

What is Gender

Location Information

We will only accept patients living within the following health boards:

  • Greater Glasgow & Clyde
  • Ayrshire & Arran
  • Forth Valley
  • Lanarkshire
  • Tayside
  • Western Isles
  • Dumfries and Galloway

Please note that there are other providers in Lothian, Grampian, Highland and Tayside which may be more suitable for your location. For more information and contact details for these clinics, please click here.

Waiting List Information

  • For the adult service we are currently offering initial appointments to people who registered with the service in May 2018
  • For the young peoples’ service we are currently offering initial appointments to people who registered with the service in May 2019
  • In 2021 we have had 499 Young Person referrals and 711 Adult referrals
  • In 2022 there have been 429 Young person referrals, and 502 Adult referrals

If there has been a change to your contact details, please ensure that you notify the service as due to the long wait since referrals, it is proving difficult to contact some patients when they reach the top of the list. We thank you for your continued patience.

Referral Information

We accept self-referrals and referrals from other service providers (e.g. your GP or a key support worker).

Adult Gender Service

If you are over the age of 17, and wish to self-refer in to the Adult Gender Service please email with the information below.

Adult Gender Service Information
  1. Your full birth name (e.g. John Smith)
  2. The name you wish to use on our system, if you have changed or do not use your birth name (e.g. Jane Smith)
  3. Your date of birth
  4. Your CHI number (you can get this number from your GP practice)
  5. Your current address (we will not send correspondence to your home address if you do not want us to)
  6. Your mobile phone number, home phone number, or both
  7. The name of your current GP and the GP practice you are registered with (we will not contact them if you don't want us to)
  8. If it is ok for us to contact you on your phone number - please say yes or no
  9. If it is ok for us to contact you on your email address - please say yes or no
  10. If it is ok for us to send letters to your home address - please say yes or no
  11. If it is ok for us to copy letters to your GP or send correspondence to your GP about your treatment here - please say yes or no
  12. If it would be ok for us to contact you for research purposes - please say yes or no

Young People's Gender Service

If you are a young person below the age of 17, or the parent of a young person who wishes to register with the Young People's Gender Service, please email with the information below, using your child's details if you are a parent.  There is no lower age limit to register with this service and we take referrals from all over Scotland.

Young People's Gender Service Information
  1. Your full birth name (e.g. John Smith)
  2. The name you wish to use on our system, if you have changed or do not use your birth name (e.g. Jane Smith)
  3. Your date of birth
  4. Your CHI number. You can get this number from your GP practice
  5. Your current address (we will not send correspondence to your home address if you do not want us to)
  6. Your mobile phone number, home phone number, or both
  7. The name of your current GP and the GP practice you are registered with (we will not contact them if you don't want us to)
  8. If it is ok for us to contact you on your phone number -please say yes or no
  9. If it is ok for us to contact you on your email address - please say yes or no
  10. If it is ok for us to send letters to your home address - please say yes or no
  11. If it is ok for us to copy letters to your GP or send correspondence to your GP about your treatment here - please say yes or no
  12. If it would be ok for us to contact you for research purposes - please say yes or no
  13. What kind of help would you/young person like to get from attending the Young Person’s Gender Identity Service?
  14. Are there any other services currently involved with you/young person (for example CAMHS, Social Work etc.)?

Contacting the Gender Service

All initial enquiries should be raised via email to our adult gender team or young people gender team and a member of the team will get back to you shortly.

Please provide us with your full name (or name you have registered with at the service) along with your date of birth and address.  This will help us to deal with your enquiry more efficiently.

Our telephone lines are open from 8:30am - 11:30am Monday - Friday. Phone lines should be used for urgent matters, amending or cancelling current bookings only. You can contact the adult gender service on 0141 211 8137 and 0141 211 8618 for the young person's gender service. Any alternative reasons for contacting the gender team, we ask that you email.

If you do not inform us that you are not able to attend, you risk being removed from the list as there are many patients waiting for appointments.

Notice to Patients

  • If you are expecting a letter regarding commencing hormone treatment or changes to your hormone schedule, please expect a wait of roughly six weeks (subject to change).
  • Please allow ample time when requesting a Gender Recognition Certificate.
  • Note that we are unable to offer any advice or support on hormones sought out from private companies.
  • Please remember to update your details with your GP so that your CHI number is up to date, as this can cause delays when applying for surgery

Information on Travel Expenses for Surgery

Once you have received your appointment letter from the surgical team (for either pre-surgery assessments or surgical procedure), you can contact Sandyford on our generic email address for further details on how to claim back travel expenses.

 

Useful links for further information and support

Mental Health Support

We understand that some people waiting for our service may be struggling with their mental health. If you think you are at risk of seriously harming yourself, please speak to your GP who can help you get the right sort of support.

For more support you can contact Samaritans by phoning 116 123 any time of day, any day of the year, or online.

Breathing Space is another great resource that offers free, confidential phone services for anyone in Scotland experiencing low mood, depression or anxiety. You can phone on 0800 83 85 87 from 6pm-2am on weekdays, or 24 hours at the weekends.

For young people, Childline offers support via the phone on 0800 1111 or online.