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A doctor who raised safety concerns about the treatment of children exploring their gender identity has revealed to the BBC that she was accused of transphobia, subjected to bullying, and forced out of her child protection role within the NHS. Dr. Sarah Redvers, who served as a named safeguarding GP, recounted undergoing a harsh investigation after she reported complaints brought to her by fellow doctors. Speaking publicly for the first time, Redvers expressed that she felt “silenced” for fulfilling her duties when she questioned whether another GP’s assessment of vulnerable young people struggling with gender identity was appropriate.
Redvers has filed a claim of constructive dismissal against NHS Sussex Integrated Care Board (ICB), which oversaw health services in the region, and Adam Doyle, the ICB’s chief executive until 2025. During a three-week employment tribunal, she described how investigating her appeared to undermine critical patient safety matters, shifting attention away from the concerns at hand. “I was just bewildered really that the medical and safeguarding issues were completely lost,” Redvers said. NHS Surrey and Sussex issued an apology, acknowledging that some employment procedures could have been managed differently.
In June 2026, a separate NHS safety review—conducted nearly six years after Redvers first raised concerns—found that dozens of children, some as young as 13, had been prescribed puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones at the WellBN clinic without sufficient checks. The report identified 78 children who had potentially suffered harm due to inappropriate prescribing practices. This investigation emerged from a drug review in late 2024 rather than directly from Redvers’s earlier warnings. NHS England condemned the situation, stating: “It is totally unacceptable young people were put at risk of harm because some practitioners at the WellBN practice provided care they were not commissioned to deliver by the NHS.” Redvers described reading about the scandal as “upsetting,” particularly as the leadership had been made aware of the concerns years earlier.
Redvers has extensive experience with vulnerable populations and held a safeguarding role where fellow medical professionals could approach her with patient safety worries. In mid-2020, she was contacted by a GP who was concerned about taking on prescribing testosterone to an 18-year-old female patient distressed about her gender identity, following treatment from an online clinic registered abroad. The doctor involved, Brighton GP Dr. Sam Hall, was advising on such prescriptions despite concerns among other GPs about the appropriateness of his assessments. Redvers said, “The concerns to me were that Hall was recommending treatment for patients that he hadn’t assessed, that he hadn’t met, and that other GPs were uncomfortable with prescribing.” After raising these issues with NHS England, she was encouraged to report them as a whistleblower. Though NHSE initially investigated and expressed satisfaction with Hall’s practice, further concerns from other GPs about medication prescribing and a lack of specialist oversight at WellBN prompted another inquiry. Despite this, Redvers was told there was apprehension about allegations of transphobia linked to the complaints.
Dr. Sam Hall, a trans man and GP who qualified in 2019, is also an advocate for transgender rights in Brighton, publicly supporting “affirmative care” that validates patients’ gender identities and treatment choices. Alongside his clinical work, he has helped set up a local Trans Health hub and worked with a Brighton trans support charity. The second NHS inquiry reviewed his full scope of work and found no cause for concern, noting “one colleague whose persistent interest in the issue appeared disproportionate,” which Redvers interpreted as a reference to herself. She clarified that her objections concerned the medical standards and evidence behind the care being provided, rather than expressing personal views on gender identity. “It’s about medical assessment and treatment of patients, which is something we have to get right, particularly in this complex group of vulnerable patients,” she said. Redvers condemned being labeled transphobic as “appalling” and warned that such accusations distracted from genuine safeguarding and clinical questions.
In 2021, while awaiting the outcome of the second investigation and prompted by concerns from local mental health providers regarding a 15-year-old patient’s care, Redvers referred Hall to the General Medical Council (GMC). Hall subsequently wrote directly to Adam Doyle, then CEO of NHS Sussex, alleging victimisation and demanding protection from Redvers’s “repeated attempts to disrupt” his career. Although Doyle initially denied prior contact with Hall, the tribunal uncovered evidence of earlier mentoring meetings between them. The GMC investigation into Hall was dropped, but the NHS launched an investigation into Redvers herself, which she described as a “brutal” four-hour interrogation during which she felt unable to fully explain her position. She suffered trauma from the process, requiring months off work and treatment. Several colleagues interviewed as part of this inquiry also criticized the handling of the investigation, with NHS Sussex ultimately upholding most of their complaints. The official report called for apologies from the CEO and the trust, warning that how Redvers was treated could discourage other staff from raising concerns.
By 2023, one year after the grievance process concluded, Redvers revealed to the tribunal feeling insufficiently supported by the NHS after a trans campaigner accused her in an NHS meeting of being transphobic. Feeling ostracized, she resigned from her safeguarding role, telling the BBC, “I just felt there’s no way I could carry on working in this organisation.” Around the same period, parents, school governors, and social workers began raising issues about WellBN and Hall’s practice. Rachel Cashman, co-founder of the campaign group PSHE Brighton, commented: “It is a travesty that Sarah Redvers was punished for doing her job safeguarding and expecting the best standards of care for gender distressed children.” Redvers is currently awaiting the tribunal’s judgment, which may take several months to be delivered. She described the experience as “personally and professionally difficult” and urged the NHS to prioritize patients by listening to staff who raise legitimate concerns.
In response to the tribunal and ongoing investigations, NHS Surrey and Sussex stated they engaged “professionally and supportively” with the process and recognized some employment procedures were flawed, for which they have apologized. NHS England noted that after concerns about prescribing at WellBN were escalated in 2023, they met affected families and directed regional standards leads to investigate formally. Following additional findings, WellBN was instructed to stop providing specialized prescribing services, leading NHS England and NHS Sussex to launch an independent patient safety review in 2025. WellBN responded to the report by acknowledging the gravity and sensitivity of the issues raised, affirming its commitment to “compassionate, safe and effective care for all patients.” Dr. Sam Hall and WellBN have been contacted for comment
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