Today, 7 August, NHS England (NSHE) published an .
RCPCH welcomes the plan from NHSE. We are encouraged to see plans to open a further two new hubs in Bristol and the East of England by 2025; these will be in addition to the existing North Hub at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital and South Hub at Great Ormond Street Hospital.
Waiting lists for these services continue to grow, with that 5,700 children in England and Wales are waiting an average of 100 weeks for a first appointment as of May 2024. It is therefore imperative that new services are established at pace, and that capacity must be created to reduce waiting times.
However, this is a new service, and it is important that resources are available to provide high quality, holistic care, including a workforce which is adequately supported.
The sets out that children can only be referred to Gender Identity Services by paediatricians or mental health practitioners. This will have an impact on a range of paediatricians, and the College is engaging with NHSE to ensure information and guidance is available to paediatricians on this new way of working.
Many paediatricians will have limited or no prior experience of providing care for children and young people with gender dysphoria, and it is important that paediatricians are supported by NHSE to build their skills and confidence to deliver their part in the new process for children who are on the waiting list. We additionally await further information about what these changes mean for our colleagues in the devolved nations.
In their , NHSE have also set out their plans to begin a clinical trial for the use of puberty suppressing hormones by January 2025. It is imperative that this work to robustly assess the evidence base is delivered at pace in order to gather much needed data and assess the range of options available to this cohort.
Professor Steve Turner, RCPCH President, said:
The College welcomes the plans to move forwards on the implementation of the recommendations of the Cass Review. We must not forget that at the centre of these services, are a growing number of vulnerable children and young people. As paediatricians we want to ensure that their needs are met, and also that the workforce is sufficiently able to deliver high quality care.
Children and young people on the waiting list for Gender Identity Services have been waiting too long to receive the holistic care that they need, so it is particularly reassuring to see timelines added to this important work. As a College, we are committed to supporting our members in the pivotal role they will play as the service continues to expand.
It is essential that NHS England provide the necessary resource, training and support for our workforce and patients in order to secure the delivery of new Gender Identity Services that better meet the needs of this patient group.
RCPCH will continue to update our page on gender identity services and advocacy for children and young people as new information becomes available.