The results of a survey asking trans people about their experiences of healthcare services suggests pharmacies need to improve their approach.

The survey, conducted by Public Health England, received over 700 responses. Preliminary results, reported in December’s HLP Newsletter, highlight the need for pharmacies to ensure that they are providing a trans-inclusive experience, given that trans people face more barriers in accessing healthcare services compared to the general population.

Of the 67 per cent of respondents who had used a pharmacy over the last 12 months, 26 per cent indicated that they had a trans-inclusive experience, 11 per cent had a transphobic experience, 55 per cent had a neutral experience and 8 per cent were unsure. Pharmacies received the highest number of individual transphobic responses across a full range of healthcare services.

There are a number of free resources that are available to support pharmacies in dealing with transgender customers, including:

• A Government guide to providing services for transgender customers
• A new NHS and PHE leaflet to improve accessibility to screening for transgender people
• A Royal College of GPs online learning module, which includes an introduction to healthcare for trans people
• Government guidance on recruiting and retaining transgender staff
• Age UK factsheet on trans issues and later life
• Guidance on contraceptive choices and sexual health for transgender and non-binary people from the FSRH.