Completed - and linked below - Independent Patient Safety Investigation into prescribing practices at WellBN GP practice in Brighton and Hove

[SingleSexSpacesInSchools]

https://www.surreysussex.icb.nhs.uk/ipsi-wellbn-general-practice-brighton/

The exec summary alone is damning.

"Care at the Practice for the 78 children and young people fell substantially below that set out in service specifications and national clinical policy. Puberty blockers and gender enhancing medications were prescribed without a comprehensive bio-psychosocial assessment (in 22 cases without even face-to-face appointments having taken place) without essential baseline and ongoing investigations and in 75 cases without referrals to 3 paediatric endocrinologists."

Seems a very sensible review. Pleased to read this, thanks for sharing. Are there any other routes currently open to patients outside of the commissioned youth gender services which may still be prescribing to children with gender dysphoria? Is gender gp still available?

Damning:

Key findings

• Overall, the clinical approach to care - including oversight by the GP Practice partners - fell far short of what could be considered safe or appropriate.
• The care provided to child and young people was not part of a commissioned NHS pathway of care.
• None of the clinicians whose care was considered in the investigation were professionally competent to initiate or assume responsibility for prescribing these medications without oversight or support from a specialist gender service.
• The investigation found an absence of advice or support from specialist clinicians, such as from:
• Consultant paediatric endocrinologists (doctors who specialise in hormones) in regard to prescribing medications
• Specialists in gender incongruence in regard to assessment and diagnosis of gender dysphoria or gender incongruence, and in forming individual care plans
• Paediatricians and mental health professionals in the broader assessment of children and young people with other complex presentations and developmental challenges
• Fertility specialists in regard to the impact of these medications to reproductive health
• Necessary physical tests (such as blood tests) were often not carried out, putting the immediate and longer-term physical health of your child and others like them at risk
• Wider concerns were also identified, including those relating to the Practice’s poor approach to clinical governance including badly kept medical records, and the approach for seeking informed consent to medical intervention.

Next steps

NHS England and NHS Surrey and Sussex ICB have jointly instructed the WellBN Practice:

• That it must not resume offering specialist gender care to children under 18 years and that the Practice’s public facing materials must make this clear with immediate effect
• That it must stop accepting children as patients from outside of its practice area unless there is exceptional clinical need that is unrelated to gender incongruence
• That it must stop prescribing hormonal medications to children under 18 years outside of NHS policy and guidance; a Children and Young People’s mental health offer from NHS services in Sussex has been made available to support children and their families where their medication is being stopped
• That it must comply with exceptional arrangements that will be in place for over the next year that will monitor its prescribing activities.

Has Dr A alias Dr Sam Hall Mengela been struck off, if not why the hell not. Activist doctors are worse than activist MP's.

It sounds like a very detailed report, and it is indeed damning, it good to see the investigation was taken seriously and stayed focused, and didn't get derailed by lobbyists.

Thanks for the link Single Sex.

I'm a bit conflicted by this one as having read some of these children's stories online they appear to be the kids that everyone was cheering on a few years back.

These are the ones that told their families they had been born in the wrong body whilst hardly out of nappies. Their families became true believers and went along the affirmative route that they were told was best practice whilst waiting for the GIDS appointment that never came.. Many were socially transitioned in early primary school and were told by everyone in authority they were really the opposite sex. They have all been taking either PBs and/or CSHs so how can they be dropped now?

Well, you are not harmed by stopping taking puberty blockers if you already have taken them the harm has already been done and is irreversible

And as for cross sex hormones none of these under 18s will have had bottom surgery as they call it and therefore are still capable of producing the correct hormones for their sex

I absolutely agree that it is the system that is at fault as a whole the government civil service charities et cetera the blame cannot be placed entirely or even largely on the shoulders of the parents in very many true ways they are victims as much as the children

But this process being stopped and stopped immediately is the very best thing for these children. The harm has already been caused and will be permanent in all of them and that is a terrible Leite upon this country.

I will be fascinated to know if the three deleted replies were all the same thing

I agree that the patients and families who have been treated by WellBN present a huge ethical dilemma. I think there will be some sort of NHS support provided [as there is in other cases of malpractice] but this will be highly confidential. The serious issues over conduct must be dealt with and I would expect professional registrations to be struck out for life. Actually I think this sort of malpractice should result in criminal convictions and prison sentences but it rarely does.

But this process being stopped and stopped immediately is the very best thing for these children.

Sadly I think it's too late for these children but yes, stop it NOW so we have no more generations of messed up kids.

What appalling findings from that investigation.
What seems to be missing is any consequences for the medics doling out such dangerous care? But as this is the NHS with their track record of failing to act on so many examples of dangerous care, I suppose we shouldn't be surprised.

Anne Health seems to be the preferred route

https://goodlawproject.org/if-the-nhs-wont-protect-trans-children-we-will/

with a bit of luck the private route will be shut down very soon.

I’ve just read this and to say I’m angry is an understatement. Those children have been let down massively. Any medic involved at this clinic should be struck off and possibly charged with child abuse.

These are the ones who were told by people online that they had been ‘born in the wrong body’ and whose parents were told that if they didn’t go along with their demands for medication they’d likely kill themselves.

I can't see how this is not criminal, surely, even if by incompetence not intent

I’m not sure why my three posts were removed. They were mostly excerpts from the report with more info about Dr A aka Dr Sam Hall who left WellBN in July 2025.
How can I find out why they were deleted?

One way is to Report the thread and in the Reason box say that you want to know why your posts were deleted, giving the time stamps.

Another way is to email Mumsnet, include the the link to this thread and the timestamps for your posts and ask why they were deleted:
[email protected]

Another way is to start a thread in Site Stuff, providing the same info and asking the same question:
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/site_stuff

Couldn’t agree with you more. Wonder what future generations will make of this “clinic” experimenting on children’s bodies like a 21st century Josef Mengele?

Thanks, I have created a new thread in Site Stuff for transparency.

Is there any understanding of the position of these parents? A percentage were not practice patients, so presumably they sought out a GP willing to prescribe PBs / CSH (a la Susie Green). Or are some parents now distraught at finding out they and their children were lied to and deceived about how PBs were helpful in ‘pausing’ puberty? If the latter, will they initiate legal action?

Edited to add: it’s getting a lot of coverage on the BBC and may well serve to inform other parents in similar situations.

The stories I've read are from long term Mermaids parents who have been onboard with their child being trans for years so can see no other option now. They sought out Sam Hall/WellBN who operated an outreach service for all of Sussex

The one exception I'm aware of is the man that is bringing a judicial review against WellBN for prescribing CSH to his 16 year old child. It was his case that triggered NHS Sussex to open this investigation. Details are in link

genderblog.net/gender-clinic-investigation-stays-secret/

Dozens of children put at risk after gender care failures at GP clinic, inquiry finds - BBC News