Figures show children under the age of five are on the waiting list for gender care on the NHS, despite proposals that children under the age of seven should not be referred for treatment.
- 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 Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust scandal
It has emerged that at least one child under the age of five is on an NHS transgender waiting list.
More than 5,700 young people under the age of 18 in England and Wales are currently waiting for treatment at two specialist centres, which opened in April.
The clinics, based at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London and Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool, came after the scandal surrounding the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust.
Although a total of 236 patients were admitted to Tavistock’s Gender Identity Development Service (GID), data released under Freedom of Information requests shows thousands of children are still waiting for an appointment.
Among them is at least one child under the age of five, despite the NHS proposal 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 was having ‘significant implications’ for children and their families
Great Ormond Street Hospital in London is one of two centres to replace the scandal-hit Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust
Of the 127 patients transferred from Gids to Great Ormond Street gender services, all had a first appointment by the end of May.
Alder Hey said all 109 patients transferred from Gids to the gender service would be given a first appointment between the opening and June 30.
A public consultation conducted by NHS England into the service specifications for the two clinics previously found that children under the age of seven should not be referred for treatment.
It said: ‘To date there is no minimum age and children from the age of 4 are referred to the Tavistock GUIDE.
‘Some people simply think this is too young and are concerned that unnecessary and inappropriate referrals are being made.
‘For the purposes of this consultation, a minimum age of 7 years for referral to the service is proposed, as by this time children may have further developed their cognitive, comprehension and communication skills.’
NHS England has committed to transforming its gender identity services following the publication of the ground-breaking Cass Review in April this year.
The research found that children receiving NHS transgender treatment were on a path to irreversible change, despite limited medical data.
Dr Hilary Cass said the long waiting list to access gender-related services had “significant implications” for children and their families.
Alder Hey said all 109 patients transferred from Gids to the gender service would be seen for a first appointment between the opening and June 30.
She recommended a care model that is “holistic and personalized” and potentially encompasses a wide range of interventions and services, including pediatric and mental health care.
An NHS spokesperson said: ‘We know that children, young people and their families are worried and stressed about the time it can take to access treatment and support from gender services.
‘NHS England is making good progress in implementing the recommendations of the Cass Review. We are expanding our services with two new specialist centres that opened in April, with more to follow. We will soon be setting out more detailed plans for how all the recommendations of the Cass Review will be implemented to transform the delivery of gender services.’