Trans healthcare must not be put at risk. Reinstate gender-affirming surgery in Wales now
Steve Griffiths, Proud Treasurer.
On Monday, 31 August 2026, 200+ members of the Trans+ community and its allies gathered at the Aneurin Bevan statue in Cardiff to protest the recent decision by the NHS Wales Joint Commissioning Committee to pause gender-affirming surgery and new referrals in Wales, pending a clinical review.
This decision came about because a Freedom of Information Act request showed that in the 2025-2026 year, the referral rate in Wales was 13 per 100,000 people in Wales, compared to three in 100,000 in England.
In effect, a journalist made an FOI request and then raised issues, which led to a pause on referrals, surgeries not being booked and surgeries that were due to take place being cancelled.
We acknowledge that clinical reviews are usually an important part of medical practice, as our healthcare knowledge, scientific and technological developments are increasing and improving all the time. It is not, however, acceptable that healthcare for Trans+ people is cancelled on the back of a FOI request intended to cause some kind of moral outrage or panic.
There are people out there who clearly misunderstand the process that a Trans+ person goes through to reach the point that surgery is offered. The wait is so painstakingly long, with invasive clinical assessments taking place before someone is even considered for surgery.
Speakers at the protest made clear that this decision is an attack on Trans+ healthcare and rights. PCS Proud wholeheartedly agrees with this assessment. For the last few years, prominent people and the media have been attacking a community that makes up such a small part of our population.
We are clear that:
- Trans rights are human rights
- Trans+ Healthcare saves Trans+ lives
- Pauses or cancellations are unacceptable
We stand in solidarity with Trans+ people in Wales and demand that gender affirming surgery is reinstated as soon as possible. The Welsh government must do better for Trans+ people.
What can I do about this?
- Write to your Senedd members, the first minister, the Cabinet Secretaries for Health and Equality to demand that gender affirming surgery is reinstated.
- If you’re in a PCS branch in Wales, encourage members who live in Wales to:
- Join PCS Proud
- Write to their Senedd members
- Share a message of solidarity across the branch
- Ask your Branch Executive to write to the General Secretary of PCS, and the Welsh Secretary to call for this perverse decision to be reversed.
- Take part in rallies, demonstrations and events that are called by the Trans+ community
This rally alone is not going to fix the issues that our community faces in Wales. It is important that all PCS members and branches get involved and fight for Trans+ Liberation.
Resources:
https://transactual.org.uk/blog/2026/08/28/statement-on-nhs-wales-pausing-gender-surgeries/
