I listened to it last night. First time I heard wishy washy interviewer Polly Curtis get off the fence!
Not that I’ve heard PC do anything except this and the Tavi series, but she both-sided that series far beyond what I believe to be reasonable. Mad that Helen Webberly is so certain of a child’s trans identity and has such blind faith in a good outcome and Polly Carmichael of GIDS talks about how uncertainty is ever present in paediatric gender medicine, yet both of their positions have landed them in the same place - using life changing medications with a litany of side effects to treat a condition that has no objective diagnosis with no evidence base to justify their actions.
Proper bonkers stuff.
Was optimistic at the brief mention of the two new services having (iirc) ‘paediatrics clinical leads’ - surely that rules Carmichael out, seeing as Carmichael is a Phd (Dr of Psychology) rather than a medical doctor? I know she is involved in the setting up of these services but if they keep her in a sort of outside ‘advisory’ position that could be OK (ie asking her opinions based on her work experience does not mean acting on her opinions!
The combo of Polly Carmichael and that Paul whatsisface who came from the charity sector and prioritised publicity over patient safety coupled with the outsize influence of activists (Mermaids, GIRES Gendered Intelligence etc) has made GIDS entirely unlike other Paeds services.
Presumably moving the new services into children’s hospitals (T&P is a mental health trust) is with the intention of giving it the same sort of oversight structures as other paediatric services? I can’t imagine Susie Green (even before the Mermaids firing) having much sway over the board at Great Ormond Street or Alder Hey?
Helen Webberly told an outright lie on that podcast, btw, saying that GenderGP had had no complaints from their customer-patients.
Reddit is littered with complaints about their lack of communications and failure to provide proper medical supervision especially from female patients on testosterone (who need to have regular FBC and liver function tests and whose overall health can be far more seriously compromised by cross sex hormones).
Webberly claiming to be doing ‘the NHS’s work for them’ is laughable- GenderGP are (imo) enabling people (including legal minors) to self harm for the over quarter million a month income GenderGP are grossing.
The NHS’s work will be dealing with all the long term consequences of Webberly’ reckless business model.