Cardiff and Vale University Health Board have announced that all referrals for gender-affirming surgery and scheduled surgeries through the Welsh Gender Service have been paused with immediate effect.
The announcement was made by Cardiff and Vale Communications Team on Friday 28 August 2026 (see below). For further information, you can read the published announcement in full HERE.
UPDATE: Umbrella Cymru is no longer contracted by Cardiff and Vale University Health Board to provide support to Welsh Gender Service patients. This is following a decision by the WGS not to recommission any external support service (from 01 July 2026). Please note this will impact wait times for any requests for support received by Umbrella Cymru as our capacity is reduced. We will of course endeavour to contact everyone as quickly as possible.
Following a request from the NHS Wales Joint Commissioning Committee (NWJCC), referrals for gender-affirming surgery and scheduled surgeries through the Welsh Gender Service have been paused while an independent clinical review is underway. The Welsh Gender Service provides specialist NHS support and assessment for adults experiencing gender incongruence, including psychological support, hormone therapy care, endocrine review and referral into appropriate treatment pathways, including surgery.
The pause affects the surgical pathway only. Other services, including psychological support, hormone therapy, endocrine reviews and speech and language therapy will remain available.
We recognise that this announcement may be concerning for patients, their families, staff and the wider community. Cardiff and Vale University Health Board remains committed to ensuring patients are treated with dignity and compassion, and receive clear, factual and timely information about what this means and the support available.
