Wes Streeting (Labour Shadow Health Secretary) pledges "support for the Cass Review’s evidence-led recommendations and our determination to put children’s health and wellbeing above the political fray"

[LogicLoverLlama]

twitter - https://twitter.com/wesstreeting/status/1777835770184634751

Is this what we need to vote Labour? I was genuinely going to rip up my "never kissed a tory" badge

Wes Streeting has apologised to Rosie Duffield and she accepted his apology last summer: https://twitter.com/RosieDuffield1/status/1684990264505446419

I don't know about Cooper.

I agree with @MorrisZapp that I want as many u-turns as possible. If that's combined with their policies going forward making good sense (eg. recognising that the Cass final report means that their definition of conversion therapy is going to be very narrow indeed and exclude all therapy offered within the NHS or by a clinically trained specialist) then I don't necessarily need to see a full public mea culpa. Their actions and policy proposals can hopefully show what their position will be in future.

I think there is going to be an awful lot of quietly ignoring that they held an alternative view rather than owning up and saying, sorry we were wrong.

It's like when the post office scandal suddenly became a national concern, loads of politicians were claiming they had always been a vigorous supporter and campaigned tirelessly for justice, when in reality all they had done was maybe acknowledge an email from a disgruntled constituent.

https://twitter.com/RosieDuffield1/status/1777976415897411910

Totally agree. Let them change direction, based on evidence - I don't require people to publicly self-flagellate, so long as they just change

Golden bridge. I’m very happy to see streeting make this commitment

If he really wanted to make sure this never happened again he could commit to a public Inquiry
The Tories have been in power for the whole of this awful situation. Clear blue water needed.

Not convinced. They've been worse than you could imagine in opposition on this. Streeting's Facebook group history speaks for itself. Cooper is personally compromised as we know from Nadhim Zahawi's Warwick university visit.

Feel free to not be convinced, of course.

Yes Labour have much to be ashamed of in opposition. But the Tories who let’s remember are in power and have been for 14 years and despite claiming to ‘know what a woman is’ have not stopped this happening when they should have done, were warned repeatedly about what is happening. And not just to kids.

Cass is not a government report it’s an NHS one. Why did the Tories sit on their hands their entire period of government? We all know on this board the MPs and committees that we have written to. Why does it take this Casd report to say what’s been said on here for years to get the government to listen?

I like and admire Rosie but I do feel an acknowledgement of Kellie J Keen matters.

The most important thing is that the NHS stops giving children and young people harmful drugs and putting them on a path to surgery, sterilisation and regret. The smoothing over of politicians’ position change is exasperating of course, but the big prize is the change of policy and Labour must surely start reexamining its position on trans policy generally if it has to admit it got this bit so totally wrong. Well done GC women for the part you have played in keeping gay and autistic kids safe from harmful drugs and the knife but please don’t try to hold up needed change or impede changes in view by demanding apologies first. Politicians are never going to admit they’re wrong imo, change of policy is the important thing. And thank you Hilary Cass for your sterling work.

Matt Hancock commissioned it.

Then that's surely on cooper not having the ability to think for herself and separate the issue from the messenger. It's a pathetic and meely mouthed response. I'm all for golden bridges,but god, a Mia culpa would be nice...and justified.

ResisterRex NHS England and NHS improvement commissioned it. See Terms of Ref.
https://cass.independent-review.uk/about-the-review/terms-of-reference/

As the mother of three LGBT children in their teens who have many trans friends I am relieved by this report. I work in mental health services and found it thoughtful and well researched. Things that stood out for me is 74% children seeking treatment are female and that a huge amount transfer to adult services with low numbers who revert to their original biological sex. Also that puberty blockers do not seem to influence positively mental health or gender dysphoria. It will hopefully improve diagnosis of autism in girls. And she also recommends wide upskilling of the workforce so these decisions are not centered in the hands of a few.
As a professional I have struggled with the toxic political and societal debates and to have a consistent view.
I also feel that if my children were growing up in the 1980s like I did they would have been caught up in horrible public debate and discrimination whilst they were coming to terms with their sexuality. We have moved on and they generally meet love and acceptance. I hope those young people now experiencing this around gender and identity will see this toxic debate move on
So I am not going to get too hung up on which politician said what when. I have no doubt made uneducated comments. It is more important the changes to NHS services are made, the workforce is skilled and we have as consistent and evidence based care as possible. And if the likely next health secretary supports this I will be delighted

See also review announcement.
https://www.england.nhs.uk/2020/09/nhs-announces-independent-review-into-gender-identity-services-for-children-and-young-people/

Nope.

x.com/soniasodha/status/1553470673867231233?s=46&t=WHoOZ_3Kv5G6-FyQuvE0LQ

The Tavistock scandal shows the dangers of civil service groupthink

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0df1a300-1022-11ed-b7aa-67f5549661eb?shareToken=f9e353baf88c8b08fbf6c72abaa25012

"Even more credit should go to health secretaries such as Matt Hancock who in the midst of the pandemic pushed for the commissioning of the review by Dr Hilary Cass that led to the closing of the Tavistock and also his successor, Sajid Javid, who provided support when I raised numerous concerns that the Department of Health refused to prioritise."

It’s really important to note that Cass is not and never has been a government led review.

This is why it’s very important that it’s followed up by a public inquiry which can look at political wider system failures, adult services etc

I'm sorry but it's not right that this happened through the NHS off its own back. They'd have had to do the technical commission but it was Ministers who pushed for it. Ministers we may or may not otherwise rate, or like. But the truth is important and it would not have happened without political involvement, and that involvement would not have happened without regular people talking to their MPs and raising concerns. And those concerns couldn't have been gathered and researched without MN.

My inner child rages and wants grovelling apologies, public floggings and the rest. And that's fine as an immediate reaction. But the adult me knows that we're going to have to accept the reverse ferrets and "nothing to see here", put aside our vengeful feelings and welcome change in the interests of children.

For too long the needs children and their families have been ignored as this ideology has been forced on them. We'll need to clear the space so that Cass is fully understood and implemented.

What's interesting is that this and the drowning of the NHS in pointless DEI initiatives that offer nothing to patient care, demonstrate just how powerless politicians and a government are in the face of a captured NHS / military / civil service/ regulatory body etc. Standing shouting from the sidelines like the rest of us.

Just shows how clever the Denton report tactics were of always doing deals in secret and avoiding democratic scrutiny at all costs.

Thank heavens that politicians finally listened. If we'd had a labour government I wonder if they'd have been allowed to listen?

It’s early days for all of that. A step forward is a step forward (and I agree this is part of the picture only - I want to see what Kier and others have to say , and also where this takes Labour in terms of women’s spaces), but it will be slower than any of use would like - I can’t see Labour having a lightbulb moment and everything being FINE!

OK then we are saying similar things. You said upthread, ‘Matt Hancock commissioned it’, which is not the case. The NHS commissioned it. Hancock may have been in support of it happening and that’s a good thing- although how could he not be when such huge concerns were being raised.

i’m just emphasising this distinction because the political dimension to making sure this doesn’t happen again hasn't been explored yet- so much of the pressure on GIDS and families attending GIDS services and on the waiting lists has huge implications for inaction and worse behaviour at governmental political leadership level.

I’m not being purely politically partisan here I actually have respect in some ways as a Health Sec for Hancock who tried to keep the digital agenda going in the NHS where other health secs hadn’t really championed that. However facts remain, that the government for past 14 years has sat on its hands and it could have (with the kind of concern you suggest) run all kinds of investigations and made all kinds of policy changes prior.

This.

Yes agreed this should be part of it

He is also making some pretty clear noises about privatisation of elements of the NHS.

I've heard this as well and surprised it gets completely ignored or dismissed by many posters.

It's very positive as far as it goes - but self ID and erosion of women's rights are still concerns with Labour. Honestly I hope it's a heralds a change in right direction but won't hold my breath.

Plus can already see all the toxic debate talk trying to shove it at both sides which just aren't comparable for behavior.