Beverley Howe, Charlie Owens & Helen Greener
23 oct 2025
Session summary
The Patient and the Provider: the Peer Support Experience. In a healthcare system often shaped without us, there is an emerging force of trans people working within NHS gender services, bringing lived experience to the forefront of healthcare. This talk is a celebration and a call to attention; a deep dive into what it means to be both a provider and a recipient of gender-affirming care in a system that is still learning how to record us. We will explore the unique perspective of trans staff working in an NHS commissioned gender identity clinic in England - ranging from different points in staff's own treatment and care to the impact of lived experience regarding the delivery of care and the culture of the service. We will also reflect on what it is like to be a trans peer supporter working in a mental health organisation and the impact of trans employees in a wider context.
Biography
Dr Helen Greener (she/her/hers) - Helen is a consultant in gender dysphoria and the clinical lead for the Northern Region Gender Dysphoria Service (NRGDS), which is one of seven NHS nationally commissioned specialist gender identity clinics in England. Helen originally trained as an old age psychiatrist, alongside developing knowledge and skills in transgender healthcare. She has been the clinical lead in the service for 15 years. She believes that people with lived experience make a pivotal contribution to the delivery of person-centred care; the problematic history of healthcare for trans people makes this particularly important in gender identity services.
Charlie Owens (he/him/his) - Senior Peer Supporter / Admin Officer
Charlie worked in retail for a big technology company in sales for a while before switching his focus to teaching and development in equality and diversity within the company. In the diversity team he hosted seminars and lectures to international stores, raising awareness and improving policies for LGBT+ staff and customers. He started working with NRGDS in early 2023 and he says he “loves working with the team and the trans community”. Nine months later Charlie began working as a peer supporter alongside an administrative role, and values the opportunity this has given him to help trans people in a way I wish I had been offered.
Beverley Howe (she/her/hers) - Senior Peer Supporter
Beverley is a fully qualified chef and has worked in a variety of catering settings, before training and working as a recovery worker for third sector organisations. The primary focus was supporting people with severe and enduring mental health conditions in community based settings. worked for the NRGDS since 2021, when the peer support service was set up. Beverley has enjoyed seeing the service expand and develop, and contributing to the success of the peer support service, including supporting new staff in the team.
