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"Failure of Service"

About: Highly Specialist Services / Gender Identity Service (GIS)

(as a service user),

I finally received my first appointment at Sheffield GIS by video in January 2022. At that time I was promised a second interview in 3-4 months. It never happened. When I asked why in the summer, the lame excuse of the Coronovirus was trotted out. When I asked when my second appointment would be, I was told that there were no estimates of when that might be. There are estimates for the first appointments, but none for the second, so basically, I have no idea if the service will see me before I die of old age or kill myself in despair. What an utterly disgusting way to treat people. The pandemic is long since over, the interviews have all been done by video anyway, I feel there is no excuse.

So, I asked for my records from the first appointment so I could give them to private health provider. Two months later, I haven't received them. On the form, the telephone number of Corporate Affairs doesn't work so you can't ring them and even the Information Commissioner's website for complaints is wrong. I emailed Sheffield GICS to complain that Corporate Affairs had not responded but they ignored me as well.

So now the service is preventing me from getting the help I need. Other people I know had their first  appts in January had their second ones in the summer. I have found the Sheffield GIC uncontactable and  unaccountable and they do not appear to care.

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Responses

Response from Helen Goodson, Peer Support Worker, GIS, Sheffield Health and Social Care Trust 2 years ago
Helen Goodson
Peer Support Worker, GIS,
Sheffield Health and Social Care Trust
Submitted on 18/10/2022 at 14:11
Published on Care Opinion at 14:46


Hi Wendy

Thank you for your feedback, at Porterbrook we welcome all feedback as it helps us to shape our services for all our clients.

Unfortunately, we are unable to comment on individual cases through Care Opinion. However, we would like to invite you to contact the clinic on Porterbrook@shsc.nhs.uk where we would like to discuss your care with you further.

Alternatively, you can contact one of our Peer Support Workers on porterbrooksupport@shsc.nhs.uk who would be happy to discuss your concerns with you and offer some support.

Like all Gender Identity Clinics, the Porterbrook GIC is experiencing a high demand for the services we offer; this is leading to increased waiting times for people on the treatment pathway and those waiting to access the service. To compound this, the clinic has faced additional challenges following the Pandemic with increased staffing absences.

We recognise that this causes a lot of upset and anxiety amongst our clients, and wish to reassure you that as a clinic, supported by our commissioners NHS England, we are doing all we can to reduce the waiting times for everyone.

Part of the solution has been to undertake a recruitment drive that has seen new members of staff coming into the service, along with some additional staff left to recruit. These new members of staff are undertaking their training in line with their professional registration to allow them to start working with our clients.

We are hopeful that as a clinic we can start to get people moving in their own journeys soon. Please bear with us during this period.

We are sorry to hear that you haven’t got any answers from corporate affairs, we’re not sure why that is. It could possibly be associated with changes to the department handling this sort of enquiries, as well as the trust headquarters moving to new premises. But here is the latest information we have for you. The SHSC website may take a little time to update these details.

This is how to get in touch with medical records.

From the website https://www.shsc.nhs.uk/accessrecords

Telephone 0114 2716345

Email sct-ctr.accesstorecords@nhs.net

By Post Access to Records Team

Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust

45 Wardsend Road

Sheffield

S6 1LX

This is how to get in touch with complaints.

From the website https://www.shsc.nhs.uk/contact-us/complaints

Telephone 0114 2718956

Email complaints@shsc.nhs.uk

By Post The Complaints Team

Distington House

Atlas Way

Sheffield

S4 7QQ

We hope you find this information helpful.

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