- More than 5,700 under-18s in England and Wales are waiting to be seen
- Great Ormond Street Hospital and Alder Hey Children’s Hospital are two hubs
- They replaced the scandal hit Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust
At least one child aged under five has been put on a waiting list for NHS transgender care, it has emerged.
More than 5,700 under-18s in England and Wales are currently waiting to be seen at two specialist hubs, which came into service last April.
The clinics – based at London‘s Great Ormond Street Hospital and Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool – replaced the scandal hit Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust.
While they took on a total of 236 patients from the Tavistock’s Gender Identity Development Service (Gids), data released under Freedom of Information requests has revealed thousands more children are waiting for appointments.
Among them, there is at least one child under the age of five – despite NHS proposals that no child under the age of seven should be referred for any gender treatment.
Dr Hilary Cass said the length of the waiting list to access gender services had ‘significant implications’ for children and their families
Great Ormond Street Hospital in London is one of two hubs that replaced the scandal-hit Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust
Of the 127 patients transferred from Gids to the Great Ormond Street gender service, all had been met for a first appointment by the end of May.
Alder Hey said all 109 patients transferred from Gids to its gender service were scheduled to be seen for a first appointment between its opening and June 30.
A public consultation conducted by NHS England for the two clinics’ service specifications has previously stated children under seven should not be referred for treatment.
It read: ‘To date, there has been no minimum age threshold and children have been referred into the Tavistock GIDS from as young as 4 years.
‘For some people, this just seems too young, and they are concerned that it could result in unnecessary and inappropriate referrals being made.
‘For the purposes of this consultation a minimum age threshold of 7 years for referral into the service is being proposed as by this time children may have more developed their cognitive, comprehension and communication skills.’
NHS England committed to transforming its gender identity services in the wake of the publication of the landmark Cass Review, in April this year.
The review concluded children given NHS transgender treatment had been set on a path to irreversible change despite scant medical data.
Dr Hilary Cass said the length of the waiting list to access gender services had ‘significant implications’ for children and their families.
Alder Hey said all 109 patients transferred from Gids to its gender service were scheduled to be seen for a first appointment between its opening and June 30
She recommended a care model which is ‘holistic and personal’, potentially comprising a wide range of interventions and services, including paediatric and mental health services.
An NHS spokesperson said: ‘We know that children, young people and their families are worried and distressed about the time it can take to access treatment and support from gender services.
‘NHS England is making good progress on delivering the recommendations of the Cass Review – expanding services with two new specialist centres which opened in April and more to follow, and we will shortly set out further detailed plans for how all of the Cass Review’s recommendations will be delivered in order to transform the provision of care in gender services.’
