NHS Scotland pause referrals for under 25s to 'gender care'?

[HerGorgeousMajestyArabellaScott]

Reported by 'trans safety network' - apparently from a letter sent to an MP:

transsafety.network/posts/chalmers-gic-pauses-gender-surgery-referrals-under-25s-cass-review/

'Chalmers GIC in Scotland has paused surgical referrals for under 25s, and for gender surgery conducted in England (vaginoplasty, masculinising top surgery, and phalloplasty/metiodoplasty). The East Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership, which includes the Chalmers GIC, have stated in a letter to the MP of an affected patient that the pause in referrals for under 25s is a result of the Cass review. '

“In Scotland, the DCMO report, Cass Review - Implications for Scotland recommended that ‘Services in Scotland should review current transfer arrangements to ensure continuity of care and support over this potentially vulnerable period’. We understand that the reference to 17–25-year-olds was intended to refer to people up to their 25th birthday, i.e. up to the age of 24 years. In considering the wider implications of this recommendation and the Cass Review, NHS Lothian decided to review the service for those aged under 25 years at Lothian GIC. This process will assess the need for additional considerations and/or a different service design to provide the required continuity of care and support for those aged 18-24 years within adult gender services in Lothian. At the same time, the referral process will be reviewed in the light of the newly published NHS Scotland Gender Identity Healthcare Protocol and Gender Identity Healthcare Standards, published on 3rd September 2024, to establish what further developments and changes may be required to the existing assessment and referral process.”

Archive link: https://archive.ph/aXrh6

No other sources I can find right now. Clinic's website:

https://www.lothiansexualhealth.scot/gender-identity-clinic/gic/

Rereading, I would say it's 'NHS Lothian', but if accurate, I imagine other NHS authorities are likely to have a similar approach.

Well it makes sense. If you are going to give u25s lower criminal sanctions as brain hasn’t fully developed then possibly should be protected from other life changing decisions.

Let's hope they follow it up with a ban for surgery on under 25s.

https://www.gov.scot/publications/cass-review-implications-scotland/pages/3/

'No. 23. Cass Review Recommendation
NHS England should establish follow-through services for 17-25-year-olds at each of the Regional Centres, either by extending the range of the regional children and young people’s service or through linked services, to ensure continuity of care and support at a potentially vulnerable stage in their journey. This will also allow clinical, and research follow up data to be collected.
MDT Response
Partially Applicable to Scotland
Summary of the MDT Team’s Comments on Scottish Context

• Services in Scotland should review current transfer arrangements to ensure continuity of care and support over this potentially vulnerable period.
• This should form part of any children and young people’s service.'

And:

'23) NHS England should establish follow-through services for 17-25-year-olds at each of the Regional Centres, either by extending the range of the regional children and young people’s service or through linked services, to ensure continuity of care and support at a potentially vulnerable stage in their journey. This will also allow clinical, and research follow up data to be collected.
We recognise there is a need for a seamless transfer for vulnerable patients to receive specialist support and follow up. Examples already exist, such as the Scottish Government ‘Principles of Transition' to support care planning from CAMHS to adult Mental Health Services.
This recommendation also mirrors the recommendation in LGBT Youth Scotland 2023 Health report based on the experience of young people in Scotland that “Young people must be supported to choose when they transition from young people's services to adult services (within a reasonable timeframe), bringing an end to automatic transition [between young people’s and adult services] at the age of 18”. Health Report 2023 digital (lgbtyouth.org.uk)
We recommend that services review current transfer arrangements to ensure continuity of care and support over this potentially vulnerable period.
This should mean that for a young person moving to adult services the process is seamless and fully documented. In some cases, a period of shared care may be necessary to ensure a safe transfer. It will require information to be shared safely and fully across service boundaries. This means that goals of care and transfer into adults’ services will need to be planned with the young person well ahead of any changes.
We would like to see this requirement reflected in adult service specifications to facilitate the move from children’s services to adult services.
Currently it is possible that some young people by virtue of their long waiting times to be seen may inevitably be referred to adult gender identity services without having been seen in children and young people’s services. We believe that children or young people transferring under these circumstances should have access to a full MDT assessment recognising many of the challenges that they face may have been exacerbated by not being addressed in their care pathway while experiencing longer waits for care.'

I seem to recall that those transferred from child to adult services then sitting on waiting lists, were picked up by adult services on a presumption of proper and adequate assessment and diagnosis, having already been done. But Cass and Hannah Barnes uncovered that this was mostly not the case.

Also both commented about the under 25 brain development.

So if i am correct it makes sense.

Always seems strange to me that the TRA’s don't want to complain about the shoddy treatment that was available, and the long waiting lists. As exposed, but rather focus on conspiracy and victimhood.

Although i might add personally do not agree with any NHS funded medical interventions for anyone in the cohort, of any age.

Having said that of course it is up to medics and policy makers cos they always get it right, don’t they.

It's interesting to see age groups being looked at more closely and recognised as havind different needs and pathways.

We all.know a four year old, an 11 year old, a teen, are very different and will be treated differently. Each may make a claim to be the opposite sex, but the reasons are likely tk be very different.

But the myth of a 'trans child' relies on these children all being points on a connected line, rather than potentially completely different profiles altogether.

Adults, something else again, of course.

And again, males and females, different again.

I am so very looking forward to and dreading at the same time, the completed review of adult services.

we will then have a complete picture of this runaway (gravy) train