Waterside Clinic – a safe, inclusive and welcoming environment | Waterside Clinic

17th September is World Patient Safety Day, a day that aims to raise global awareness about patient safety and promote united action to reduce patient harm. For the team here at Waterside Clinic, patient safety is always our top priority and we have worked hard to create an environment where every patient is made to feel safe, welcome, understood and listened to.

Sadly, however, we know there are countless trans people that have not received this level of care and respect when seeking help elsewhere. In fact, according to Human Rights Channel, 17% of trans people had their specific needs ignored when seeking general health care. As a society, we must do better. With that in mind, we sat down with Waterside Clinic’s Dr C Chong (he/his/him) to discuss trans patient safety in more detail.

Do you think there has been a significant improvement in trans visibility in recent years?

Yes, there has been increasing trans visibility in recent years. This has been positive in that a lot of trans people can see positive representations of other trans people, which has helped them come out and live their own authentic lives, leading to less isolation etc. But it is also important to highlight that despite this, there has been a drastic and disturbing increase in anti-trans legislation worldwide and a rise in hate crimes against trans people.

How would you describe Waterside Clinic’s approach?

We take pride in our patient-centred care, recognising that there is huge diversity within the trans and non-binary community.

What words of advice or comfort would you give to anyone experiencing gender dysphoria?

Reach out to others in the community. Many trans people feel isolated and unseen / unheard, and misunderstood, unsupported. Some quite literally fear for their lives. Having a supportive community can really help you through difficult times, regardless of where you are in your transition.

If you’re not sure where to start, head to the LGBT Health and Wellbeing website, the Scottish Trans website, or the Spectra London website. Alternatively, you can call the LGBT+ Scotland helpline on 0800 464 7000, or the MindLine Trans+ helpline on 0300 330 5468.

Can you suggest any ways to be a good ally to trans people to help them feel safe, included and understood in everyday life?

This is a really difficult question to answer actually because every trans person is different. But some suggestions include:
• Use the language they use. If you don’t know a person’s pronouns, ask and use them.
• Be respectful, even if you don’t understand a person’s experience.
• Respect people’s privacy. Ask respectful questions and only if it helps you treat the individual more respectfully (e.g. name/pronouns) and ask yourself if you would be comfortable being asked those same questions. Don’t ask questions just to satisfy your own curiosity.
• On a more systemic level, gently correct other people regarding pronouns etc, speak up about trans rights, push for support and inclusivity rather than just tolerance, and think about the type of gendered language we use in day to day language.