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An NHS safety investigation has revealed that a GP practice in Brighton improperly prescribed medication to numerous children exploring their gender identity, including some under the age of 13. From February 2023 to December 2025, over 20 children received medication without attending face-to-face appointments. The clinic, WellBN, acknowledged the gravity and sensitivity of these issues in a public statement, emphasizing its dedication to delivering compassionate and safe care to all patients.
Following these findings, NHS England instructed the clinic to cease issuing new prescriptions to minors. Several clinicians, both current and former, have been referred to medical regulatory bodies, and one doctor involved has been suspended from practicing as an NHS GP pending further inquiry. Dr Christopher Tibbs, NHS England’s regional medical director, condemned the practice, stating that young people were exposed to significant risk because treatments were provided by staff who lacked the proper qualifications and commissioning for specialist care. “Under no circumstances should this have happened,” he affirmed.
WellBN operated a transgender health hub in Brighton starting in 2020, which grew to register around 2,000 patients of all ages, including many from outside the city. The service aimed to address long waiting times for specialist gender clinics in England. The investigation, initiated in June 2025 by independent clinicians appointed by NHS Sussex, followed complaints from families and the start of a legal case against the clinic and NHS. The report found that from 2023 to late 2025, 78 children under 18 had been prescribed gender-related medication, ranging from puberty blockers to masculinising or feminising hormones. These treatments often led to irreversible physical changes such as voice deepening or breast development.
The inquiry highlighted serious shortcomings in the clinic’s approach, noting that none of the staff were professionally qualified to initiate gender medication, essential blood tests were frequently not performed, and advice from hormone or child gender-specialist doctors was absent. The report stressed that overall care fell far below safe and appropriate standards, and though the extent of actual harm was difficult to assess due to poor record-keeping, the potential risk to the children’s physical health was high. Nearly half of the children prescribed puberty blockers were aged 16 or younger, with 12 under 13—and one just 11 years old. Furthermore, 51 children aged 16 or under were given cross-sex hormones, including four below age 13. Despite these issues, the report acknowledged that the clinic’s staff showed a genuine commitment to helping distressed young patients, many of whom have now been referred to NHS specialist gender services, according to Dr Charlotte Canniff of the Surrey and Sussex Integrated Care Board.
Concerns over the clinic’s practices have deeply affected families. A local group consisting of parents, school governors, and social workers, which had raised early warnings in 2023, described the impact as causing family ruptures and breakdowns in relationships. Rachel Cashman, co-founder of PSHE Brighton, remarked on the wider damage, noting that some children prescribed hormone treatments also had diagnoses such as autism or ADHD, and that focusing narrowly on gender medication may have neglected their broader health needs. The report found that 53 of the 78 cases reviewed involved possible neuro-developmental issues. Parents who have spoken anonymously to the BBC shared heartbreaking experiences: one father described his son obtaining hormones without parental consent, while another parent recounted how families faced impossible choices—either consenting to treatment or confronting stigma. A third parent described how his daughter, after initially being prescribed testosterone at the clinic following attempts to order hormones online, later decided to stop treatment and live according to her birth gender.
Recent policy changes reflect increasing caution around gender-related medical interventions for minors. A 2024 review by paediatrician Dr Hilary Cass called into question the strength of scientific evidence supporting such treatments for children and advocated for a fundamentally different service model. Following this, a ban was introduced on new prescriptions of puberty blockers outside clinical trials, although those already receiving treatment could continue. NHS England also restricted access to cross-sex hormones, recommending their use only for young people around 16 and older with extreme caution and after approval by specialist national teams. More recently, in March 2026, new prescriptions for 16- and 17-year-olds were halted in England pending public consultation.
In response to the report, WellBN reassured patients through its website that it strives to provide “safe, high-quality care and support” and expressed commitment to collaborating with NHS partners and regulators to implement any necessary recommendations and improve its services going forward
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
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