Trans rights organisations have accused NHS England of "putting politics over patient care" after the publication of new guidance on accommodating trans patients in hospitals.
TransActual and the Trans+ Solidarity Alliance said the updated policy risks creating confusion for healthcare staff and could deter trans people from seeking treatment, amid ongoing controversy over the use of single-sex wards across the NHS.
The groups were responding to details of NHS England's new single-sex accommodation guidance, which is expected to set out how trans patients should be accommodated while receiving hospital care.
Campaigners said the policy appeared to prioritise sex assigned at birth over clinical judgement in some situations, creating practical and safeguarding concerns for both patients and medical staff.
In a joint statement, the organisations said: "This NHS guidance emphasises clinical judgement as the priority over blanket exclusion, but leaves individual healthcare professionals unclear on how to safely look after trans patients.
"Forcing trans people into spaces based on our sex assigned at birth will never be the most clinically appropriate decision, and will push trans people away from accessing care."
The groups also warned that NHS staff are being placed in an increasingly difficult position as they try to balance patient safety, limited hospital resources and evolving guidance.
"Doctors and nurses need to be able to prioritise looking after the person in front of them, not juggling scarce side rooms and writing breach reports to keep trans people safe," the statement continued.
The publication of the guidance comes amid wider debate over the treatment of trans people within healthcare settings, following a series of policy changes affecting single-sex spaces across public services.
TransActual argued that the realities facing hospitals already struggling with bed shortages and staff pressures could make the guidance difficult to implement consistently.
"This guidance will not survive contact with reality in resource-strapped hospitals and will create unworkable operational challenges," the organisations said. "The government failing to get a grip of this legal mess is sadly putting politics over patient care."
"The government failing to get a grip of this legal mess is sadly putting politics over patient care."
The intervention reflects longstanding concerns among trans advocacy groups about barriers to healthcare access.
According to TransActual's Our Trans Lives 2025 survey, 43% of respondents said they had experienced transphobia while accessing healthcare services. The survey also found that negative experiences were contributing to widespread avoidance of medical treatment.
Nearly two-thirds (64%) of respondents said they had avoided visiting their GP even when unwell, while 35% reported avoiding A&E departments altogether.
Campaigners argue that policies perceived as exclusionary risk deepening that mistrust and could have serious consequences for health outcomes if trans people become reluctant to seek treatment.
The concerns come against a backdrop of mounting pressure on NHS services, with hospitals across England continuing to grapple with high demand, bed occupancy pressures and lengthy waiting lists. Critics say requiring hospitals to find alternative accommodation for trans patients could create additional logistical challenges in already overstretched settings.
Supporters of stronger single-sex accommodation policies, however, argue they are necessary to protect privacy, dignity and safety for all patients, particularly women and girls.
A fuller response from TransActual is expected after NHS England publishes the complete guidance and campaigners have had an opportunity to analyse its contents in detail.
The organisation said it would continue pressing NHS leaders and ministers to ensure that clinical need, patient wellbeing and practical realities remain at the forefront of healthcare policy.
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