Call us: 0115 876 0160
Your appointments
Your appointments
We know that coming to an appointment can feel quite daunting and we know you have waited a long time for it! Knowing what to expect can really help you feel more confident and will help make your first appointment feel a little easier.
What happens at your first appointment?
If you want to know more about visiting the Nottingham clinic, take a look at our walkthrough video.
What happens at your first appointment?
Your first appointment is a conversation between yourself and the clinician, who may be either a psychiatrist, psychologist or a nurse. You will normally be asked a few questions to establish a bit of background about you and your gender as well as some discussions about what you are looking for from the NHS. Don’t worry if you do not have an answer for some of the questions, this is not a test, just a chance to chat and discuss your treatment.
You will at no point be asked to undergo a physical examination. The appointment is simply to discuss your gender in the past, how you identify now and what treatments you may require.
For most appointments you will have the choice of attending on-line or in-person. However, on occasions there may be a clinical need for you to attend in person.
Your Second Appointment
Your second appointment may feel very different to the first. This is where you and the clinician get into the details of what you require from us and how you would like your journey to look like going forwards. Second assessments are conducted by a lead clinician and will include further assessment questions and they will likely go into more detail on some topics. There will also be plenty of opportunity for you to ask questions. At the end of the assessment, next steps will be explained and some people will receive a diagnosis of Gender Incongruence HA60 (ICD11) and entering the treatment programme will be discussed, some may be invited to further assessments and others may be discharged.
The waiting time between your first and second appointment is a good time to look through our Treatments Offered pages and to take time to reflect upon the first appointment.
The distance between your first and second appointment can be found on our Waiting List Update page.
Before my appointment
You will receive your opt-in letter offering you an appointment, which you will have to respond to. While you are waiting for the admin team to book you an appointment, there are few things you can consider doing:
- If you are intending to do a deed poll, it may be a good time to get the ball rolling. Find out more about deed poles and changing your details here.
- If you are attending the appointment online, make sure you have a device which you can use to attend your appointment.
- Ensure you have booked some time off work for the appointment if you need and make sure you arrange a quiet private room where you can have your appointment if possible.
- The video consultation system the clinic uses is not compatible with Internet Explorer or FireFox so make sure you have Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge downloaded onto the device you will be using.
If you are coming into the centre, make sure you have checked your travel plans and know where the centre is. The building has many steps both to enter and a few more when you are inside. If this is likely to be an issue, let the staff know ahead of time by giving the team a call on 0115 876 0160.
There is an accessible entrance around the back of the building and there is a fully accessible waiting room, toilets and consulting room available too.
Information about finding our building can be found here.
Online appointment
After you have booked your appointment following the receipt of your opt-in letter, you will receive an email. This email will have instructions for logging into the system. If you have lost these details, email: NCTHGeneral@nottshc.nhs.uk if you are a Nottingham patient or GeneralEOEGS@nottshc.nhs.uk if you are an East of England Patient.
You will be sent to a virtual waiting room before your appointment. Please note that as with a real-life appointment, the clinician could be running late, so you may not be connected straight away. If the clinician has difficulty getting hold of you, they may try to ring you, so make sure your mobile phone is turned on and close by.
Real-life appointment
Ideally, turn up for your appointment at least ten minutes early. You will need to press the intercom to say you are here and the receptionist will buzz you in. If you can then sign in at reception and make your way to the waiting room.
The waiting room has a kitchen available if you want to make yourself a tea or coffee or grab some water. We also have a television with up-to-date information about the Network on it, a radio (which you may turn off if you are noise sensitive) as well as charging points for your phone. There are also plenty of leaflets and local information sheets for you to read while you wait.
When you leave, make sure you sign out at reception. You can then push the green button to the right of the door to let yourself out. If you have used the accessible entrance, a member of staff will show you out.
After your appointment
The admin team will contact you when it is time for your next appointment. The time between the first and second appointment will vary for several reasons. You can check our waiting list update page on this website to see what the current waiting times are between the first and second appointments.