Lancaster University launches national consultation to shape future of adult gender healthcare

Lancaster University researchers are leading a major national consultation to identify future research priorities for healthcare interventions supporting adults experiencing gender incongruence and gender dysphoria.

The initiative - known formally as the Gender Incongruence in Adults (Non-Surgical) Priority Setting Partnership (PSP) - is being delivered in partnership with trans, non-binary and gender-diverse communities, alongside healthcare professionals across gender services. It follows last year’s Operational and Delivery Review of NHS Adult Gender Dysphoria Clinics in England by Dr David Levy, which highlighted an urgent need for a coherent, high-quality research strategy to inform and improve service delivery.

Funded by the trans-led charity Gendered Intelligence, the PSP aims to centre lived experience at every stage of its development. The charity is supporting Lancaster University’s Dr Lisa Ashmore and PhD researcher - and former Students’ Union LGBTQ+ Officer - Lilly‑Emma Thynne to run the consultation as an external project.

The work forms part of a wider programme of health-related Priority Setting Partnerships overseen by the internationally recognised James Lind Alliance (JLA). These partnerships bring together patients, healthcare professionals and community networks to identify where evidence is lacking and to prioritise the most pressing questions requiring research. The World Health Organisation acknowledges the JLA framework as a robust model for collaborative, community-centred research development.

The Gender Incongruence in Adults PSP will create a shared space for community members and clinicians through a Steering Group comprising 11 adults with lived experience and up to 11 specialist healthcare professionals. The group will guide an extensive consultation process, including an online survey, focus groups and community workshops designed to capture uncertainties and knowledge gaps in relation to transition-related care.

Through genuine partnership, trans, non-binary, and gender-diverse communities and healthcare professionals across gender services are helping to shape the future of inclusive and impactful adult gender healthcare research.

Researchers will also review existing evidence to avoid duplicating work already carried out in the field. Once the consultation phase concludes, a diverse group of community representatives and clinicians will take part in a final workshop to prioritise the outstanding questions. The resulting Top 25 list of research priorities will be published later this year, with the Top 10 becoming eligible for a rolling National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) funding opportunity.

Dr Lisa Ashmore said the project’s strength lies in its commitment to lived experience: “It is vital that we listen carefully to how services are experienced and delivered in practice when setting research priorities. By bringing together healthcare professionals and people using gender services, this partnership will ensure future research supports care that is informed, responsive and grounded in people’s lived experience.”

Lilly‑Emma Thynne emphasised the significance of genuine partnership working: “This unique project reflects what is possible when collaboration is built in from the start. Through genuine partnership, trans, non-binary, and gender-diverse communities and healthcare professionals across gender services are helping to shape the future of inclusive and impactful adult gender healthcare research.”

Dr Jay Stewart, CEO of Gendered Intelligence, praised the approach as a model for future research across the sector: “We are pleased to see a model of research that values lived experience and professional knowledge as complementary rather than separate. This kind of collaboration recognises the expertise that exists within trans communities and strengthens the evidence base for better healthcare.”

The consultation opens at a time when demand for adult gender healthcare continues to grow, and researchers hope the findings will help inform a more effective, evidence-led national approach to non-surgical gender services.