Mr A complained that the Health Board refused to warn patients referred to the Erectile Dysfunction Therapy clinic in advance that they would be expected to be examined and counselled by female clinicians. He said that the Health Board hid the fact that it would be a female clinician by sending appointment letters that just referred to a clinic, unlike other disciplines which would include the name (and hence gender), of the clinician they would be seeing. Mr A said the examination was hugely humiliating and embarrassing. Mr A said that Welsh Government guidelines stated that a patient may request to have such an examination by a person of the same gender, but it was impossible to make such a request without being forewarned.
The assessment was concerned that patients should be properly informed of the gender of the clinicians with which they would be attending a potentially gender sensitive clinic. Instead of investigating this complaint, the Ombudsman sought and gained the Health Board’s agreement to undertake the following action to resolve the complaint:
• The Health Board agreed to amend the template for Erectile Dysfunction Therapy clinic appointment letters so that they include the name of the clinician holding the clinic and information regarding the service being female-led and informing the patient that they can contact the Urology Department for assistance should that concern them.
The Health Board agreed to undertake these changes within 1 month.