The Cass Review has found that a lack of research and insufficient evidence surrounding medical interventions in gender care has failed children. The report was published on Wednesday by Dr Hilary Cass at the request of NHS England. Cass’ report found that gender services for young people failed to match the other services provided by the NHS. The potential “toxicity” of having open discussions about gender care put professionals on edge, causing professionals to hesitate to discuss their views, potentially leaving younger patients vulnerable.
In 2020, NHS England commissioned the review, which examined gender identity services for patients under 18. The request came after whistleblowers raised concerns about the Gender Identity and Development Service (GIDs), which was the only specialist gender clinic for children and young people in England and Wales. GIDs was closed in February, four years after it was graded “inadequate” by inspectors. Topline recommendations from the report include the need for diverse assessments of young patients, more research, and additional safeguarding measures.
Dr Cass recommended reviewing youths’ array of traits and character qualities when seeking treatment and examining outcomes for the patient in question. This lack of research has led to children’s disappointment in gender care’s failure to develop evidence-based research. It’s discussed in the report that children and young adults require the same quality standards of care and research in gender care as what’s expected in other NHS services.
Toxic debates surrounding gender have also had a detrimental impact on the availability and quality of evidence. Young people “caught in the middle of a stormy social discourse” have often been vilified on social media, “name-calling echo[ing] the worst bullying behaviour,” Cass wrote in the report’s foreword
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