Trans women will be banned from women-only wards and women patients will be able to ask for a female doctor under plans put forward by ministers.

A new version of the NHS Constitution has been drafted to ensure women-only spaces are protected, sources said.

The proposals would also give patients more powers to request a doctor of the same biological sex as them in matters of 'intimate care', while trans patients would have their own private spaces where hospitals can provide them.

Ex-Health Secretary Steve Barclay had announced plans for the changes at the Tory Party's conference last year. 

He said: 'If we do not get this right now, the long-term consequences could be very serious for the protection of women and future generations.'

The proposals come after The Daily Mail exposed 'shocking' NHS rules that mean patients who only occasionally identify as women can share female-only wards.

This is regardless of whether or not they have had surgery or legally changed sex.

The constitution is updated every ten years, most recently in 2015. 

The new text will face an eight-week consultation.

A Government source said: 'The Government has been clear that biological sex matters, and women and girls are entitled to receive the protection and privacy they need in all healthcare settings.

'Our proposed updates will give patients the right to request same-sex intimate care and accommodation to protect their safety, privacy and dignity.'