New clinics will 'establish a fundamentally different and safer model of care,' according to the NHS
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The United Kingdom's National Health Service (NHS) announced it would be opening six new gender identity clinics by 2026 that will "provide tailored gender services," based on recommendations from a recent report, according to the NHS announcement.
Following the publication of a comprehensive report by Dr. Hilary Cass in April, which was independently commissioned by the NHS to document practices and care for children reporting gender identity disorders, the NHS is now transforming its gender healthcare services for children and young people. The new clinics will reportedly focus more on providing a "holistic" approach that includes supporting kids with mental health conditions, which is in line with Dr. Cass's recommendations.
The Cass Review found medical professionals reported "no guidance, no evidence, no training" regarding gender disorders and were "afraid" to discuss the topic.
The former president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, detailed in the 388-page report that there was "no good evidence" for the medical push to transition children's gender, noting the push had been "built on shaky foundations."
About half the staff of Gender Plus also worked at the Tavistock clinic, pictured above. (Guy Smallman/Getty Images)
The report also found that puberty blockers did not help youth suffering from gender dysphoria feel better about their bodies, noting that evidence on the treatments' mental effects was insufficient, which sparked backlash from activists and politicians who insisted its researchers intentionally ignored crucial scholarship.
"I am pleased that NHS England is planning to fully implement the recommendations of my Review and the next important step will be the most challenging – turning it into a reality," Dr. Cass said in the NHS announcement. "The vision of the Review – reflected in the implementation plan – is to increase available services for gender-questioning young people which take a holistic approach to care addressing the needs of each individual, and which put in place a full package of care which can be delivered as close to home as possible."
The NHS also said it will enforce stricter standards for referrals to specialist clinics, requiring all new referrals to specialist gender services be made through mental health or pediatric services "to ensure every child or young person has had a thorough assessment of need," the announcement read.
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"These plans set out in detail how we will establish a fundamentally different and safer model of care for children and young people," Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director, said. "The work Dr. Cass has undertaken has been invaluable in helping us shape the new service offer, and we have already begun our transformation of these services by opening two new regional centers this year."
The NHS ordered the London-based gender identity clinic at the Tavistock and Portman Trust to shut its doors in July 2022 amid safety concerns raised in the Cass Report that it was rushing children into transgender procedures. In March, the NHS banned the use of puberty blockers for children seeking treatment for gender dysphoria, citing limited research.
A general view outside The Tavistock Centre on July 29, 2022, in London, England. The Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) clinic at Tavistock and Portman NHS foundation trust in North London is the UK's only dedicated gender identity clinic for children and young people, and was ordered closed last year. (Guy Smallman/Getty Images)
"As well as rolling out new services, NHS England is setting up a clinical trial to establish the evidence on puberty blockers, because children’s healthcare should always be led by evidence," Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said. "I want trans people in our country to feel safe, accepted, and able to live with freedom and dignity."
Two new NHS Children and Young People’s Gender Services, London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) and Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool, opened in April, according to the announcement. The next new clinic will open in Bristol, becoming operational by November 2024 with plans to mobilize a clinic for the East of England over the course of 2024 and 2025. NHS England has also published plans for a review into adult gender services, following recommendations from Dr. Cass, which will look at the effectiveness, appropriateness and stability of current services.
Fox News' Timothy H.J. Nerozzi, Hannah Grossman, Taylor Penley and Jon Brown contributed to this report.
Kendall Tietz is a writer with Fox News Digital.
