Every medical student in the United Kingdom will have access to free transgender healthcare training during Transgender Awareness Week, following a government-commissioned review that identified significant gaps in LGBTQ+ education across British medical schools.
The initiative, announced by online training provider Affirm, will provide free access to its five-hour, Continuing Professional Development (CPD) accredited course from November 13 through November 20, coinciding with Transgender Day of Remembrance.
The program follows a 2026 review commissioned by NHS England that found LGBTQ+ healthcare education remains inconsistent and is not mandatory within UK medical training.
Researchers from Anglia Ruskin University and the University of Aberdeen discovered that the General Medical Council’s educational standards do not specifically address LGBTQ+ healthcare. One survey examined in the review found that only one in eight medical students believed they possessed sufficient knowledge to treat LGBTQ+ patients effectively.
Addressing Gaps in Medical Education
Affirm’s training program covers six modules designed to improve healthcare professionals’ understanding of transgender and nonbinary patients.
Topics include gender identity, gender-affirming healthcare pathways, sexuality, the history of transgender medicine, and the experiences of transgender patients navigating healthcare systems.
The curriculum also examines unconscious bias, communication techniques, and practical clinical scenarios intended to help future doctors provide appropriate care.
The course draws from the book Gender Affirming Therapy: A Guide to What Transgender and Non-Binary Clients Can Teach Us, written by Laura Scarrone Bonhomme, Dr. Michael Beattie, and Skye Davies.
Scarrone Bonhomme, a clinical psychologist and Affirm co-founder, said medical professionals increasingly face complex decisions without receiving sufficient preparation.
“Doctors deserve to feel fully prepared for the realities of modern clinical practice,” she said.
Training Comes Amid NHS Policy Changes
The announcement follows controversial NHS England guidance released in October requiring transgender patients to be accommodated in hospital facilities according to their sex registered at birth.
LGBTQ+ organizations have raised concerns about patient safety, discrimination, and whether hospitals can adequately implement the requirements. An internal NHS assessment also warned that the policy could contribute to delays in treatment when private rooms are unavailable.
The free training has received an endorsement from transgender healthcare provider Gender Plus, whose director, Dr. Claudia Zitz, praised the program’s comprehensive approach.
Medical students can register using their university email addresses during the promotional period. Medical schools seeking longer-term access can contact Affirm directly.
The initiative offers future physicians additional preparation while highlighting an unresolved question within British medical education: whether LGBTQ+ healthcare competency should become a mandatory component of medical training.
