Gender clinics for children and young people should be rolled out across Scotland, a key report on the implications of the Cass review north of the border has said.
Health experts have told Scottish ministers that services should not be concentrated, as they are now, at a single clinic in Glasgow, the Sandyford.
Led by the chief medical officer Sir Gregor Smith, a multidisciplinary team of senior Scottish clinicians has accepted almost all of the recommendations of the review into gender care for young people in England, published earlier this year by the paediatrician Hilary Cass.
The team’s response to the Cass review, published on Friday, looks set to bring Scotland further into line with the rest of the UK on care for young people experiencing gender dysphoria.
Pre-election rules prevented publication of the findings before the general election, but a commitment was made to the Scottish parliament to publish it at the first opportunity after that.
Advertisement
The experts said that work should begin immediately to design a regional gender service and that in the long run such care should be provided as locally as possible as part of normal care for children.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, which runs the Sandyford clinic, has already said that it had paused the use of puberty blockers. But the review stressed that further study will be carried out on the suitability of these medicines for young people worried about their gender.
Professor Graham Ellis, Scotland’s deputy chief medical officer, said: “At the heart of this question are children and young people in distress, and our ambition must remain focused on meeting their needs with holistic, person-centred care as close to home as practical.
“The Cass review identified the need to ensure that gender identity services for young people are more closely aligned with other areas of clinical practice, and that responsibility for the full range of services required should extend beyond specialist services. This will be essential as we seek to always provide the best possible care.
“In responding to the Cass review, the multidisciplinary team looked at the recommendations from a clinical perspective, always remembering that we have a responsibility to make sure that all children and young people grow up safe, respected and supported.”
Advertisement
A Sandyford whistleblower has said that doctors worked in fear of being deemed “transphobic” if they raised concerns about the way patients were treated.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, which is responsible for the clinic, investigated concerns that the “outcome” for young patients was “directed by political correctness rather than taking a whole person view of the individual”, according to a leaked document.
The Scottish census for 2022, according to newly released figures based on voluntary questions, found that nearly 22,000 people were trans or had a trans history. Of these, 46 per recent were aged 16 to 24 and another 26 per cent were 25 to 34. The census did not ask under 16s whether they were trans.
Neil Gray, the Scottish health secretary, said the government would consider the report and report back to parliament after the summer recess. “We remain absolutely committed not just to ensuring ongoing support is available, but to reforming and improving gender identity healthcare across Scotland,” he said.
Meghan Gallacher, the Scottish Conservatives’ deputy leader, criticised the timing of the release of the report. She said: “We’ve been waiting months for the SNP to respond to the Cass review and, by sheer chance, it’s finally ready to be published the day after the general election.
Advertisement
“The SNP’s cowardly attempt to sneak this out when everyone’s gaze is elsewhere — and the Scottish parliament is in recess — is disgraceful. But it’s also typical of their contempt for scrutiny and accountability.
“This is a critical response that will shape the future of gender services in Scotland but MSPs will not be afforded the opportunity to question the SNP minister in the chamber for weeks. It’s simply not good enough.
“We will consider the recommendations carefully to ensure they fall in line with the Cass review.”
The Scottish Greens stressed that for children and young people the biggest problem for years had been getting an appointment to discuss gender with a doctor. Maggie Chapman, a Green MSP, said: “We must also see far greater action to tackle the unacceptable waiting times that trans people face for even the most basic consultations.
“With a new government in Westminster, I hope that we will see an end to the culture war and that we can finally deliver the gender recognition reform that our Scottish parliament overwhelmingly voted for and an end to all conversion practices.”
