She is undeniably one of the most influential pediatricians of her generation and, perhaps most importantly, is no stranger to raising the alarm about patient safety concerns.
So it’s no wonder that Dr Hilary Cass was tasked with overhauling the care of gender-challenged children in Britain.
Appointed by NHS bosses in the wake of the Tavistock scandal, Dr Cass has separated fact from fiction in a debate that has become exceptionally toxic.
Her scathing review of gender identity services for young people runs to almost 400 pages and was almost four years in the making.
Dr Hilary Cass’s final report on NHS care for children with gender issues has now been published
Retired pediatrician Dr Hilary Cass speaks about the publication of the Independent Review of Gender Identity Services for Children and Young People
It says children have been let down by a lack of research and evidence on medical interventions, particularly puberty blockers and hormone medications.
Guidelines themselves are not based on evidence, she ruled.
As Dr. Cass himself bluntly puts it, all of gender medicine is “built on shaky foundations.”
Dr. Cass, in her 60s, is no stranger to voicing concerns to those in power.
In 2013 it was revealed that she left Great Ormond Street Hospital after raising concerns about patient safety.
She warned bosses that insufficient staffing, poor morale and a lack of cooperation between departments were putting patients at risk.
After she sent an email to managers expressing her concerns, GOSH used a confidentiality agreement to resolve a long-running dispute with her, which saw her demoted and led to her departure.
It sparked a national debate about the use of so-called ‘gagging clauses’ in the NHS.
Dr. Cass, who attended a prestigious London private school for girls before studying medicine at the University of London, is herself a recognized leader in children’s medical care. She was President of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health from 2012-2015.
In addition, she was president of the British Academy of Childhood Disability between 2017 and 2020.
Although she no longer works clinically, she remains an honorary consultant pediatrician at Evelina London Children’s Hospital – part of Guy’s & St Thomas’s NHS Foundation Trust.
At Evelina she worked on the development of pediatric palliative care for extremely ill children and their families.
Dr. Cass, who previously described her ideal guilty pleasure as eating a Snickers while watching an episode of The Thick Of It, is a respected figure in pediatrics.
Retired pediatrician Dr. Cass speaks about the publication of the Independent Review of Gender Identity Services for Children and Young People, April 9
Dr. An avid fan of the theatre, Cass has been recognized for her work several times, including receiving an OBE for her services to child health in 2015
Dr. Cass, who has previously described her ideal guilty pleasure as eating a Snickers while watching an episode of The Thick Of Ithas also published several articles on the care of children with neurological disorders.
Her previous work concerns children with autism, cognitive and visual impairments and people with multiple disabilities.
Caring for children is clearly a subject close to Dr Cass’s heart, as even after retiring from clinical practice she has worked with charities committed to helping young people with complex medical conditions.
These include being a former chairman of the children’s palliative care charity Together for Short Lives and being a trustee for Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice.
Dr. An avid fan of the theatre, Cass has been recognized for her work several times, including receiving an OBE for her services to child health in 2015.
She has also been awarded honorary fellowships by the Royal College of Nursing and the Royal College of General Practitioners
Dr. Cass has a form for delving into controversial medical topics and previously spoke out in 2013 about her support for assisted suicide, also known as medical euthanasia.
When she retires, she is planning a “gap year for adults,” according to an interview she did with the British medical journal in 2013.
In the same piece, she talked about her love for “crispy duck from the local Chinese takeaway.”
Her parents “always thought I was argumentative and perverse enough to be a lawyer,” Dr. Cass also said.