Long waits and ‘unacceptable’ lack of data at NHS gender clinics in England, review finds

Doctors treating vulnerable patients with gender dysphoria have no way of assessing whether the NHS treatment provided has worked because outcomes are not systematically recorded, a damning official inquiry into the clinics has found.

Waiting times for a first appointment at NHS adult gender dysphoria clinics (GDCs) in England are projected to reach 15 years unless there are improvements, the review found. The number of people seeking treatment is rising significantly and on average patients are already waiting five years and seven months for a first assessment.

The review conducted by Dr David Levy, an NHS medical director and cancer specialist, was commissioned after last year’s Cass report on gender care for children and young people.

His report found that the clinics’ failure to study outcomes for their patients made it impossible to judge the safety of these services. Long waiting lists were also leading to safety issues, driving people to self-source hormone drugs from high-risk online providers abroad.

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Source: The Guardian, 18 December 2025.