Russell Reid

Russell Reid is a consultant psychiatrist specialising in sexual and gender-related conditions. He is particularly known for his work with gender identity disorder patients, from which he retired in February 2006. His successor is Richard Curtis. Reid grew up in New Zealand and works privately in the United Kingdom. Britain's best-known expert on gender reassignment, he was a member of the parliamentary forum on transsexualism.

In 2006-2007, Reid was investigated by the General Medical Council (GMC), the regulatory body for doctors in the UK. A serious professional misconduct hearing opened following complaints brought by four doctors from the main NHS Gender Identity Clinic at Charing Cross hospital, west London, and some of his former patients. It is alleged that he breached international standards of care, set by the Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association (HBIGDA) by inappropriately prescribing cross-gender hormones to patients and referring them for Sex reassignment surgery without adequate assessment.

During this case, Reid received support from other experts in the field and more than 150 patients, according to Britain's main lobby group for transgendered and transsexual people Press for Change. Christine Burns, vice president of PFC, told the Guardian newspaper in June 2004: "Dr Reid is highly respected and regarded by the vast majority of transsexual people in the UK." Ultimately, the enquiry found Reid guilty of Serious Professional Misconduct, mostly for failing to communicate fully with patients GPs (A rule that it is reported many private doctors in the UK are unaware of) and not documenting his reasons for departing from the HBIGDA Standards of Care guidelines sufficiently. However, the panel "determined that it would be ... in the public interest as well as your own interests if you were to return to practice..." and allowed him to return to practice, subject to some normal, by GMC Fitness To Practice panel standards, restrictions on his practice and hormone prescriptions for the next 12 months.

Reid was a member of an expert committee set up by the Royal College of Psychiatrists to draw up new UK care guidelines on the treatment of Gender identity disorder. He stepped down as a member of the group in the wake of the GMC inquiry.

References

* [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2408775,00.html The Times Psychiatrist accused of rushing five patients into changing sex]
* [http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/peter_tatchell/2006/10/dr_russell_reid_unjustly_accus.html Guardian Comment is Free Peter Tatchell on Russell Reid]
* [http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/society/health/sex+change+doctor+avoids+dismissal/531487 Channel 4 News Sex change doctor avoids dismissal]
* [http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2007/may/23/healthandwellbeing.health Guardian Julie Bindel talks to Claudia]
* GMC FTP hearing findings (No longer available online)