Over 80 clinicians, researchers and academics have signed an open letter raising serious concerns about NHS England’s recent evidence reviews of gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) for trans youth and subsequent prescribing policy.
In March this year, NHS England opened a public consultation on their updated prescribing policy for GAHT for under 18s.
Under this new policy, gender-affirming hormones are no longer available before the age of 18, marking yet another blanket withdrawal of gender-affirming care for trans youth, on top of a national puberty blocker ban, and the ongoing pause to the planned puberty blocker trial.
The 85 signatories to the open letter, sent to the National Medical Director for Specialised Services James Palmer, highlight how this decision was based on a series of evidence reviews commissioned by NHS England that:
- have no clear rationale
- ignore previous and ongoing research already commissioned by NHS England
- fail to follow typical standards of peer-reviewed research
- are underpinned by a deeply-flawed methodology
- misreport key findings
- and still do not justify NHS England’s “urgent” withdrawal of gender-affirming care.
The recent BMA investigation into the Cass Review highlights concerns not just with the Cass Review itself, but with the Government’s and NHS England’s significant overreach regarding recommendations and implementation.
This open letter sets out yet more evidence of exactly this pattern of overreach, with life-saving care being withdrawn from young transgender patients with no clear rationale or evidential basis, and for what appear to be entirely political and ideological reasons.
The letter’s signatories urge NHS England to:
- pause and reverse implementation of this policy change
- acknowledge and consider previous and ongoing commissioned research in this area
- ensure the clinical commissioning policy reflects established international best practice
- and incorporate patient and clinician consensus and testimony into any decision about transgender healthcare.
Read the full open letter now.
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