Scotlands’s gender clinic has ‘paused’ the prescribing of puberty blockers after ‘days of shameful silence and dithering’ from the Scottish Government.
The Sandyford clinic in Glasgow said no prescriptions would be issued to new patients and under-18s would not get other gender hormone treatments.
The U-turn comes after a review of gender services for children in England found there was ‘not enough evidence’ puberty blockers are safe or effective.
The findings by Dr Hilary Cass piled pressure on the NHS in Scotland to scrap the controversial practice of giving such drugs to gender-questioning children.
The Sandyford is the national gender clinic for under-18s. From there, patients are referred to endocrinology clinics in children’s hospitals in Edinburgh or Glasgow.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde(NHSGGC), which runs the Sandyford, and NHS Lothian said they had decided in mid-March to ‘defer’ putting new patients on hormone suppressants, following the same move by NHS England.
Glasgow’s Sandyford Clinic said no prescriptions would be issued to new patients and under-18s would not get other gender hormone treatments
Scottish Conservative deputy leader Meghan Gallacher said: ‘The SNP Government have been dragged kicking and screaming towards taking the necessary action to safeguard vulnerable youngsters after days of shameful silence and dithering.’
First Minister Humza Yousaf had said he did not believe there was a case to shut the Sandyford, despite the closure of the similar Tavistock facility in London.
Puberty blockers allow children with gender dysphoria time to think about whether they want to transition. Youngsters can self-refer to the Sandyford or go through their GP. At the end of last year 1,100 patients were on its waiting list.
The clinic has also paused referrals for ‘gender affirming’ hormones such as testosterone and oestrogen for under-18s. The Sandyford said there would be ‘no change’ for those already being prescribed drugs and it would continue to see new patients and give ‘psychological support’.
Health Secretary Neil Gray said: ‘We have been clear it is for clinicians and health boards to make decisions about clinical pathways, and these decisions should be made carefully and based on the best evidence available.
He said the Cass Review’s findings were being closely considered by the Scottish Government and health boards.
Dr Emilia Crighton, director of public health at NHSGGC, said: ‘The next step is to work with the Scottish Government and academic partners to generate evidence that enables us to deliver safe care for our patients.
‘We echo the views of Dr Hilary Cass that toxicity around public debate is impacting the lives of young people seeking the care of our service and does not serve the teams working hard to care for and support them.’
Scottish Trans manager Vic Valentine said: ‘We want every child or young person to get the individualised care that’s right for them at the time that’s right for them. We don’t think this decision will make that possible.’
Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie urged the government to lay out treatment changes to be made in the wake of the Cass Review.
The announcement on puberty blockers prompted the LGBT wing of the Scottish Greens to call for an emergency general meeting to discuss the future of the party’s power-sharing agreement with the SNP.
Rainbow Greens co-convener Jen Bell said the clinic’s decision broke promises in the Bute House Agreement on ‘putting trans patients at the heart of decisions on their own healthcare’ and warned ‘Greens in government would do well to take heed’.
Right call despite Humza’s shameful lack of leadership
Commentary by Meghan Gallacher, Scottish Conservative Deputy Leader
YESTERDAY we got the welcome news that the Sandyford clinic is to halt the prescription of puberty blockers to children.
The First Minister and the SNP Government had tried to dodge the issue.
The Cass review, published more than a week ago, was highly critical of the treatment of children uncertain about their sexuality and gender identity. It concluded the policy of prescribing puberty-blocking medicines and setting them on a path to major surgery was based on ‘remarkably weak’ evidence.
Its damning verdict was that gender identity services have been letting down vulnerable and distressed children.
In the lead-up to the review, the UK Government put a halt to the use of these untested treatments – the long-term effects of which, shockingly, are unknown – on young children.
The only reasonable response would have been for the SNP Government to adopt the same approach. The fact that the Scottish NHS is devolved doesn’t make the slightest difference to the scientific and clinical findings of the report.
Medicalinterventions that are, at the very least, experimental and unevidenced do not change character at Gretna. Yet Humza Yousaf and other government ministers have spent weeks attempting to avoid the issue.
The controversy on gender services for children is not new. I have been raising concerns for quite some time.
The SNP had every opportunity to protect children. Ministers are ultimately responsible for Scotland’s health system; Mr Yousaf’s deflections about leaving decisions to clinicians are preposterous.
He and other SNP ministers have a duty of care towards vulnerable young people. Yet for years they have refused to listen to those who have bravely voiced their concerns. Although the Cass report was only published this month, its interim conclusions have been known for almost two years. Yet, despite knowing that they would need to make a decision, the SNP’s pathetic response to its publication was to insist that they would need ‘some time’ to read, analyse and digest it.
People will not forget, or forgive, the SNP’s shocking abdication of responsibility on this subject. I have had the privilege of speaking to families who have had their lives turned upside down because of gender services, and the lack of care their sons and daughters receive. Their bravery has given me the strength to keep going – knowing their voices must be heard. I want to see all those who suffer from distress or confusion over gender or sexuality, especially children, receiving the right psychological support and assessment. Yet I have been called transphobic for taking that view.
Serious medical procedures – which despite the protests of ministers and activists, are not reversible or well-evidenced – should never have been imposed on children, as a host of countries have now concluded. It beggars belief the SNP Government should have disowned all responsibility on such a serious issue.
