An NHS trust is continuing to allow trans patients to use single-sex facilities based on their gender identity — despite a Supreme Court ruling that said otherwise.

West London NHS Trust confirmed that patients can access wards and bathrooms based on their "legal gender", meaning trans people with Gender Recognition Certificates (GRCs) will be treated in facilities that match their identity. The trust provides medical services across Ealing, Fulham, Hammersmith and Hounslow, with a focus on mental health, and also runs Broadmoor Hospital in Berkshire.

The policy was first reported by The Telegraph on 28 June, nearly a year after the UK Supreme Court ruled that the definition of "sex" under the Equality Act 2010 refers to biological sex.

The decision has been welcomed by trans communities and allies. One user on X wrote in response to the news: "Good. Trans women are women. No matter what rulings are in place."

But it's also drawn fierce criticism from political opponents. Shadow Equalities Minister Claire Coutinho called it "astonishing that an NHS trust has adopted this unlawful policy". She urged the Health Secretary to demand the policy's immediate withdrawal.

"Biological males must not be allowed into single-sex female spaces, but more than a year on from the Supreme Court ruling, the Government has completely failed to get a grip on public services that are still flouting the law," Coutinho said.

"Many women and girls in hospital will be particularly vulnerable and need to know that their safety and privacy is being protected. The Health Secretary must demand the immediate withdrawal of this policy, and issue the new national guidance that is more than a year overdue."

The Government has not yet issued the national guidance Coutinho referred to, leaving individual NHS trusts to determine their own approach to the ruling.