Scotland’s only gender identity clinic for under 18s, the Sandyford clinic in Glasgow, has announced that it will pause prescribing puberty blockers to children. Additionally, new patients aged 16 or 17 will no longer receive other hormone treatments until they are 18. This decision comes in the wake of a landmark review of gender services for under-18s in England, which claimed that children had been failed by a lack of research, and that medical interventions had “remarkably weak” evidence. NHS England confirmed that it would stop prescribing puberty blockers in March.
Puberty blockers work by suppressing the release of hormones that cause puberty. They are often prescribed to children who are questioning their gender as a way of stopping physical changes such as breast development or facial hair. Like other parts of the UK, Scotland has seen a rapid rise in the number of young people questioning their identity or experiencing gender dysphoria. The only specialist service for under-18s is the Sandyford clinic in Glasgow, where people can self-refer or be referred by their GP.
According to figures released to BBC Scotland News under a freedom of information request, at the end of 2023, 1,100 patients were on the clinic’s waiting list. The Sandyford clinic also provides “gender affirming hormones” such as testosterone or oestrogen to 16 and 17-year-olds. In the NHS in England, fewer than 100 children – who had already begun a prescription – are taking puberty blockers, and in Scotland, the number is likely to be far smaller.
Following the position taken by NHS England, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) and NHS Lothian suspended starting new patients on the treatment in mid-March. The Glasgow health board said patients had now been notified, and existing patients currently receiving treatment will not be affected. Scottish Trans and the Equality Network’s Vic Valentine said the pause on puberty blockers was the wrong decision, and would “harm trans children and young people.” However, Scottish Conservative deputy leader Meghan Gallacher said the decision was “long overdue” and accused the government of leaking the news to the press “before having the decency to update parliament.
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