Mick Hartley

Astonishing. The memos about Sandie Peggie and NHS Fife, or the Darlington nurses, or the general turning of the tide on gender ideology, don't seem to have arrived at Guy’s and St Thomas’s:

A London hospital trust has told trans employees they can use the lavatories and changing rooms of their choice in a challenge to Wes Streeting.

Guy’s and St Thomas’ trust’s new transgender equality policy tells all staff they must refer to everyone with the pronoun of their choice, even if they do not believe in gender ideology.

It also advises managers not to disclose the trans status of a doctor or a nurse to patients, which campaigners fear could mean patients not being guaranteed intimate care by someone of the same sex….

Fiona McAnena, the director of campaigns at women’s rights charity Sex Matters, said: “With the Darlington nurses and Sandie Peggie cases under way, it’s inexplicable that Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust has just produced a new policy stating that staff who identify as transgender can access the facilities of the ‘gender’ they identify as.

“The leadership of Guy’s and St Thomas’ needs to get a grip, pull this new policy and start again if the trust is to avoid becoming the latest NHS trust to face costly legal action because of reality-denying absurd policies and practices.”

The trust’s transgender policy, seen by The Telegraph, was drawn up by equalities officers and LGBT members of staff.

Controversially, it recognises “non-binary” identities, which are not recognised in law.

It sets an aim for all NHS staff in the two hospitals to be trained on “non-binary staff and gender non-conforming identities”.

The trust also said it would collect data on the gender that staff identify as, but not their biological sex, in defiance of the Government.

On toilets and changing rooms, the guidance states: “Facilities: provide access to gender-appropriate facilities. Gender-neutral options will also be made available where possible.

“Transgender people are accommodated according to the gender they identify with, rather than sex registered at birth, regardless of where they are on the transition journey.”

It's a step back in time. Well, it's a step back in everything. In every sense.