Dear Regulator, your professionals need you

An open letter to the GMC, the NMC, and the HCPC

I know you are scared. I know you are getting complaints from both sides. Your professionals still need your guidance, and the law is very clear.

I know you quite well

If you are reading this, you work for or sit on the board of one of the professional regulators that oversee healthcare in this country. The General Medical Council, the Nursing and Midwifery Council, the Health and Care Professions Council. You hold enormous power over how healthcare is delivered, and I need to talk to you about how you are using that power when it comes to trans people.

I know you quite well. I spent six years as the subject of a GMC investigation that ultimately found in my favour on almost every count, and in that time I learned a great deal about how regulators operate. I also learned a great deal about what happens when regulators fail to lead.

I know you are scared