In 2020, 17-year-old Chase* was referred to the NHS gender identity development service by a GP.
“When I first got on the waiting list, it made things a bit easier to deal with,” Chase tells Hannah Moore. “Because I was like, OK, I feel horrible right now, my mental health is really bad but there is something in the pipeline.”
However, the first appointment never arrived.
“About a year and a half ago, and I was like, I’m never gonna be seen by anyone. It sort of made things a lot worse, because I was like, I’m really struggling, and there’s no one that’s going to help.”
This year, Chase received a letter informing them that they were now too old for the youth service and would need to join the adult waiting list instead.
After more than three years on the waiting list, Chase has still not received any gender-related support on the NHS. They are one of thousands of young people still waiting.
This month, the review of NHS England’s gender identity service carried out by Dr Hilary Cass was published. The Guardian journalist Amelia Gentleman tells Moore about the concerns raised in the report, and what Cass thinks needs to happen now.
Dr Aidan Kelly, who previously worked at the Tavistock clinic, reflects on the Cass review and what a service that centres children’s wellbeing would look like.
*Name has been changed to protect identity
Photograph: VOISIN/PHANIE/REX/Shutterstock
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