Transgender ward allocation in single-sex mental health wards

contemporary considerations

Kealy-Bateman, Warren
Daws, Tessa
Ouliaris, Calina

Clinical Senior Lecturer, School of Medicine, Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, and; Senior Staff Specialist Psychiatrist, Department of Psychiatry, Professor Marie Bashir Centre, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Camperdown, NSW, and; Clinical Director, Mental Health Drug and Alcohol, Dubbo and Regions, Western NSW Local Health District, NSW, Australia
Psychiatry Registrar, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Medical Student, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia

Warren Kealy-Bateman, Clinical Senior Lecturer, School of Medicine, Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, PO Box 5029, Wollongong, NSW 2520, Australia. Email: [email protected]

Australasian Psychiatry 27(1):p 50-52, February 2019. | DOI: 10.1177/1039856218815747

Objectives:

Allocation of transgender patients to single-sex mental health wards in Australasia can be a complex and challenging decision in the absence of adequate awareness, education and policy that prioritize consumer safety and preference. It is a point of care that can go wrong for a transgender person. We examine relevant literature, law and existing principles of care and offer an approach.

Conclusion:

Transgender individuals experience an excess health burden and have difficulties that are poorly understood by many health practitioners. This is partly the result of both informational and institutional biases. Relevant legal frameworks, while supportive, are still to be translated into policy. We suggest a framework that canvasses the needs of various stakeholders and considers them equally in the decision-making process.