Children aged 16 waiting for gender identity appointments are being advised to ask their GP for an adult referral, because they will become ineligible for the children’s pathway before they can be seen.
The Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS), based out of the Tavistock and the only one of its kind in England, is due to close in March 2024 and will be replaced by two regional sites.
NHS England has said that GIDS is not currently offering any first appointments, and the new services will not start seeing patients until April next year – but only those who are 16 and under.
NHS England therefore wrote to young people on the waiting list who are due to turn 17 in the intervening period.
The letter, seen by Pulse, said: ‘I am writing to explain that due to your age, you are unlikely to be seen by GIDS or one of the new services for children and young people.
‘As you are aged 16 years at the date of this letter – our records indicate that you will reach 17 years of age by 31 March 2024, which is when the GIDS will close.
‘The Children and Young People Gender Incongruence National Referral Support Service will write to you again once you have reached 17 years of age to let you know that your referral to the new CYP gender incongruence services has been closed and to remind you that you may want to make a decision about whether to discuss a referral to an adult gender incongruence service with your GP.’
NHSE also said any new referrals to the adult service will take into account wait time on the children’s pathway, and patients will be ‘added to an appropriate position’ on the list.
South West London GP partner Dr Nick Grundy told Pulse ‘there are so many things wrong with this’.
In a post on X, he said: ‘Why do NHS England think it’s okay to write to children on the gender identity waiting list telling them the waits mean they will be too old to be seen in years’ time, and that they need to see their GP, again, for a new referral? Transfer the referrals yourself, NHSE.’
‘Patients don’t want long letters about how sorry you are for the failings of the system. They want you to organise services they can be seen in,’ Dr Grundy added.
Earlier this year, NHS England walked back its plans to limit who can refer patients to its service for transgender children, after proposing last year to shift all responsibility for referring onto just GPs and healthcare professionals.
