Where does the Cass report leave trans teens? | podcast

In 2020, 17 years old Pursuit* was referred to the NHS gender identity development service by a GP.

“When I first got on the waitlist, it became a lot easier to deal with,” Chase says Hannah Moore. “Because I thought, OK, I feel terrible now. My mental health is really bad, but something is in the pipeline.”

However, the first appointment never came.

“About a year and a half ago I thought: I will never be seen by anyone again. It actually made things much worse because I thought, I’m really struggling, and there’s no one to help.

This year, Chase received a letter informing them that they were now too old for youth services and should instead be placed on the adult waiting list.

After more than three years on the waiting list, Chase has still not received gender-related support in the NHS. They are among thousands of young people still waiting.

This month, the review of NHS England’s gender identity service, conducted by Dr Hilary Cass, was published. The Guardian journalist Amelia sir tells Moore about the concerns raised in the report, and what Cass thinks should be done next.

Dr. Aidan Kelly, who previously worked at the Tavistock clinic, reflects on the Cass review and what a service that puts children’s wellbeing at its heart would look like.

*Name has been changed to protect identity

Support The Guardian

The Guardian is editorially independent. And we want to keep our journalism open and accessible to everyone. But we increasingly need our readers to finance our work.