Scotland’s only gender clinic for younger folks has paused prescribing puberty blockers for brand spanking new sufferers beneath 18 years outdated after the National Health Service (NHS) in England banned children from receiving the gender therapy final month.
Puberty blockers are used to delay puberty adjustments by stopping the physique from making intercourse hormones together with testosterone and estrogen. They are often prescribed to treat gender dysphoria, the clinical term for psychological misery that outcomes from an incongruence between one’s intercourse assigned at start and one’s gender identification.
The Sandyford Clinic, primarily based in Glasgow, introduced that new sufferers aged 16 and 17 “will now not be prescribed gender affirming hormone therapy till they’re 18 years outdated,” the clinic wrote in an update on its website. Current sufferers at the moment receiving therapy is not going to be affected.
NHS Higher Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC), the nationwide well being department that oversees the clinic, stated in a statement Thursday that it had contacted sufferers this week to advise that the prescription of puberty hormone suppressants and gender affirming hormones to younger folks was paused following analysis findings of NHS England that have been revealed in March.
The impartial report made for NHS England, which was led by Dr. Hilary Cass, a marketing consultant pediatrician and former President of the Royal School of Paediatrics and Little one Well being, stated that there was inadequate long-term proof of what occurs to youth who’re prescribed puberty blockers. In consequence, the NHS banned kids in England from receiving puberty blockers, solely offering the prescription to youth participating in scientific analysis trials.
NHSGGC and NHS Lothian, one other space in Scotland, stated that “on scientific recommendation,” that they had deferred beginning new sufferers on these remedies in mid-March in response to the place taken by NHS England and whereas ready for the publication of the Cass Evaluation. After the evaluation was revealed and with the assist of the Chief Medical Officer for Scotland, Sir Gregor Smith, the well being boards formally paused therapy.
Current sufferers “will proceed on therapy with shut monitoring and assist, as they want to and as guided by particular person scientific assessments inside every service,” the native well being businesses confirmed.
Dr. Emilia Crighton, NHSGGC Director of Public Well being, stated in a press release that the Cass Evaluation findings are necessary, and the subsequent step is to “work with the Scottish Authorities and tutorial companions to generate proof that permits us to ship protected take care of our sufferers.”
“We echo the views of Dr. Hilary Cass that toxicity round public debate is impacting the lives of younger folks in search of the care of our service and doesn’t serve the groups working onerous to care and assist them,” Crighton stated.
Each the well being businesses and the Sandyford Clinic stated in statements that they have been dedicated to supporting younger folks in search of gender therapy.
“We’re dedicated to offering the absolute best scientific take care of younger folks accessing and understanding the misery that gender incongruence may cause,” the Sandyford Clinic stated. “Whereas this pause is in place, we’ll proceed to provide anybody who’s referred into the Younger Individuals Gender Service the psychological assist that they require whereas we evaluation the pathways in step with the findings.”
TIME has reached out to NHSGGC and the Sandyford Clinic for remark and additional info.
