I am not an expert in this field....BUT..
the diagnosis of gender dysfunction or whatever one would like to call it has no chemical, radiological criteria other than feeling that you are in the body of the wrong gender. Blood tests, cytology, X-Rays are all unhelpful and the diagnosis depends on psychological scrutiny...OK..by experts.
It is what the patient is telling you....truth.....or otherwise and here we are dealing with a convicted killer ( who could well be telling the truth.)
This will be a costly procedure to the NHS and the number of cases who, after the operation, still feel that they are in the wrong sex body, is significant.
Waiting lists for hip replacements, coronary artery bypass surgery, cancer drugs are all funded from the same pot. Now if the NHS feels both ethically and financially, supported by a team of Psychiatrists that this will be either beneficial to the patient and or to community, then go ahead.
This is one of the problems of State medicine....one is spending other people's money and it seems to be unaccountable to nobody in particular.
Would an Private insurance company pay for this procedure, certainly not, but the tax payers of the UK will.