Leaked emails reveal child gender service concerns

Senior bosses have shared concerns about the closure of the NHS gender identity clinic for young people, leaked emails seen by BBC News reveal.

Hospital executives voiced worry about the cancellation of appointments, patients lacking information and poor communication with the new services.

In one email, the service's director, Dr Polly Carmichael, said cancellations could potentially put patients at risk.

The controversial Gender Identity Development Service (Gids), which is run by the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust, is due to close later this week.

Its closure was announced in July 2022, after an independent review said a "fundamentally different" model of care for young people with gender-related distress was needed.

It will initially be replaced by two new regional hubs; a London-based southern hub and a north of England hub. Additional hubs are expected to open in the coming years.

However, BBC News has spoken to staff at the existing service who say, just days before the 31 March closure, they have been unable to answer basic questions from patients about the future of their care.

They say they still do not have enough details about how the new services will operate or when some provisions will be fully operational in the new clinics.

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Source: BBC News, 27 March 2024