Scotland’s only transgender youth clinic has suspended prescribing puberty blockers. (Getty)
Scotland’s only youth gender clinic has suspended prescribing puberty blockers to under-18s.
Following a decision by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC), prescriptions will now be blocked for under-18s who are currently on the waiting list.
The Sandyford Clinic in Glasgow also announced that patients over the age of 16 will not receive hormone treatment until they are 18.
The decision follows a similar decision by NHS England last month, just over a week after the publication of last week’s Kass report, which made recommendations to change NHS England’s approach to trans young people’s care.
The report, commissioned in 2020 and headed by pediatrician expert Dr Hilary Cass, stresses “extreme caution” when prescribing puberty blockers to under-18s.
Puberty blockers are physically reversible treatments that stop the production of certain hormones and suppress undesirable aspects of puberty.
NHSGGC said in a statement: bbc news It said the decision was taken following the views of the board and NHS England and NHS Lothian.
Dr Emilia Crichton, the commission’s director of public health, said: “The findings that informed the Cass review were significant and we reviewed the impact on clinical pathways.
“The next step from here is to work with the Scottish Government and academic partners to generate evidence that will enable us to provide safe care to our patients.”
According to the new policy, patients currently prescribed puberty blockers will continue treatment.
Puberty blockers are currently suspended on the NHS in England and can only be prescribed through clinical trials, but the Kass report says they should only be prescribed if there is a “clear clinical basis”.
Vic Valentine, spokesperson for the Scottish Transgender and Equality Network, said the NHSGGC’s decision would be “harmful to transgender children and young people”.
“This decision comes at a time when the realities of transgender people’s experiences and lives are being questioned almost daily in some media outlets and in some political circles.
“This makes us worry that this decision is not simply in the best interests of transgender children, but is influenced by their context.”
