Latest news with #CassReview
Telegraph
28-05-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
NHS orders clinic to stop prescribing cross-sex drugs to children
The NHS has ordered a GP practice to stop prescribing cross-sex hormones to children who want to change gender. WellBN GP surgeries in Brighton have flouted the Cass review's recommendations by prescribing the drugs to children, as first revealed by The Telegraph. The practice, which runs three surgeries, has been the subject of a legal challenge by the parents of Child O, an anonymous 16-year-old boy who claimed he was prescribed cross-sex hormones without having been properly assessed by a gender-identity clinic and without his parents' knowledge. WellBN said the NHS 'has forced us to temporarily pause initiating new NHS prescriptions for gender-affirming care to anyone under the age of 18', including a ban on taking on prescriptions from private sector providers. The administration of cross-sex drugs, also known as gender-affirming hormones, involves giving hormones such as testosterone to help someone change their physical appearance. They are different to puberty blockers, which stop the onset of puberty by suppressing the release of hormones. The Cass review, led by the paediatrician Baroness Hilary Cass, said all under-18s questioning their gender should be seen by a team of experts for a range of conditions including mental health issues and neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism. The independent review concluded that medical pathways to change genders had been ' built on shaky foundations ' and called for puberty blockers to be banned, citing the 'weak evidence' to support their use in this group of patients. It urged 'extreme caution' in relation to cross-sex hormones. However, WellBN GP has continued to prescribe cross-sex hormones to patients such as Child O, allegedly after minimal consultation. The practice has also allegedly continued to take on prescriptions from private providers whose checks are less robust than the NHS. The parents of Child O allege the GP had prescribed the drugs without their knowledge, in spite of him suffering from mental health issues for most of his life. They also claim that his school had facilitated his 'social transitioning', which is when someone changes their name and way they dress in alignment with their preferred gender, without pursuing medical treatments. Paul Conrathe, a senior consultant solicitor at SinclairsLaw who is representing Child O's father, said the intervention was 'long overdue'. 'This surgery has been providing a highly controversial life-altering treatment without following the recommendations of the Cass review or cautious guidance of the NHS,' he told The Telegraph. 'Patients now need to be moved into appropriate specialist treatment as soon as possible. Activist medicine should have no place within the NHS.' The practice uses an 'informed consent' model – discredited by Lady Cass's review – which gives patients, including children, information about the cross-sex drugs and side-effects to inform their decision. Critics claim this approach does not further look into possible causes to want to take cross-sex hormones or whether there are other issues, critics claim. 'Should refuse' children NHS England previously wrote to GPs telling them they 'must refuse' requests to prescribe puberty blockers because it is a criminal offence and 'should refuse' cross-sex hormone requests to children unless carefully considered. The trans health hub team at WellBN said NHS England and NHS Sussex did this 'by threatening to close us down altogether if we did not comply' in a letter addressing its patients. 'We are waiting to have a meeting with NHS Sussex to discuss this, and we will do our best to turn this decision around,' the update said. 'We will continue to prescribe to young patients who are already under WellBN's care and/or for whom we have already overtaken private prescriptions – the demand is specifically in relation to the initiation of new prescriptions.' It said it had to consider the health of its 25,000 patients, including 2,000 transgender and non-binary patients. The practice told patients they could 'still have a comprehensive trans health review' at their clinics with a 'supportive and affirming clinician'. It also said they would be able to 'discuss HRT [hormone replacement therapy] with you'. The letter was signed off 'with solidarity and rage' from the team. Stephanie Davies-Arai, the director of Transgender Trend, said there was 'a strong school-to-clinic pipeline established in Brighton'. 'Children are thoroughly indoctrinated in schools and then referred on to the WellBN clinic for hormones. The clinic has been unsafely prescribing cross-sex hormones to minors in breach of the Cass review recommendations and NHS guidelines for some time,' she said. 'NHS England should step in much earlier to prevent these ideological practitioners from harming children.' Keith Jordan, the co-founder of Our Duty, a support and advocacy group for parents with gender-questioning children, welcomed 'the increased NHS scrutiny of those prescribing cross-sex hormones to adolescents'. 'Clinics that provide treatments based on ideology and not clinical need require closing down. We maintain that young people cannot provide truly informed consent for such irreversible interventions due to their developmental stage and the complexity of long-term consequences,' he said. Lasting effects Last week, the Government announced that it was launching a review into the prescription of cross-sex drugs following the threat of a judicial review. Experts will analyse the available evidence and recommend a decision in July, officials said, raising the prospect that the drugs could be outlawed for children in the UK, like puberty blockers. It is understood two clinical reports led by experts in Sweden and Finland caused Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, to order the review, according to a report in The New Statesman. The new evidence specifically raised concerns about the impact of starting cross-sex hormones under the age of 18, finding that years of treatment 'will increase the risk of cardiovascular disease', stroke, 'decrease fertility, impair liver function and increase the risk of cancer'. An NHS spokesman said: 'NHS England and Sussex Integrated Care Board have jointly acted in response to concerns about the inappropriate prescribing of hormone treatment to children and young people. 'The NHS clinical policy for masculinising or feminising hormones follows the recommendations from the independent Cass review that these hormones should only be prescribed with extreme caution from the age of 16.'
Glasgow Times
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Glasgow Times
UCU calls for staff rights to use facilities matching gender identities
It follows the Supreme Court ruling last month that the words 'woman' and 'sex' in the Equality Act 2010 refer to a biological woman and biological sex. In the wake of the ruling the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) issued interim guidance, saying trans women 'should not be permitted to use the women's facilities' in workplaces or public-facing services like shops and hospitals, with the same applying for trans men using men's toilets. More detailed draft guidance was published last week, with a consultation period running until June 30. The guidance says people can be asked to confirm their birth sex so long as it is 'necessary and proportionate for a service provider, those exercising public functions or an association to know an individual's birth sex to be able to discharge their legal obligations'. It cautions that any such question 'should be done in a sensitive way which does not cause discrimination or harassment'. The University and College Union (UCU), which is the UK's largest post-16 education union and represents more than 120,000 education staff, held its congress on Monday where delegates backed four motions committing the union to 'fight back against unprecedented attacks on trans people's human rights'. General secretary Jo Grady said: 'Our congress has once again committed our union to stand shoulder to shoulder with the trans community in the fight for equality. 'This year trans people have suffered a wave of attacks against them, but UCU remains steadfast as one of their most vocal allies. 'We refuse to allow trans people to be the collateral of a right-wing culture war and while they continue to experience violence at home, in the workplace and on the airwaves, we will stand by them.' As a result of one of the motions, the UCU has resolved to call on employers to support the right for staff to use the gendered spaces appropriate to them, saying that the Supreme Court ruling contradicts the current practices that allow this at most post-16 institutions. The draft EHRC code will be presented to women and equalities minister Bridget Phillipson in July (Ben Whitley/PA) As part of the motion the congress also committed to issuing a statement to members and on social media platforms 'expressing concern' at the ruling and 'reaffirming our steadfast commitment to defending trans people', and to call on employers to develop and implement trans-inclusive policies 'as a matter of urgency'. Another motion criticised the Government's 'decision to ignore the damning critiques' of the Cass Review, and in its wake the union will write to the Health Secretary condemning the report's findings and methods. Published last year, the review concluded children had been let down by a lack of research and evidence on medical interventions in gender care, which led to NHS England announcing a new plan which requires new referrals into the clinics to have been seen by a GP and mental health specialist or paediatrician first. The UCU will also advocate for healthcare that 'affirms and values' trans people in its letter to Wes Streeting as it criticised the ban on the supply of puberty blockers for young trans people – which was made permanent in December and which means they are not prescribed on the NHS to children for the treatment of gender dysphoria. Plans remain in place to set up a clinical trial into the use of puberty blockers this year, although no patients have yet been recruited while ethical and regulatory approval is awaited. Two motions were concerned with the actions of US President Donald Trump's administration, with one condemning its 'concerted attacks upon trans people'.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Universities should defy law on lavatories for trans people, says union
Universities should defy the Supreme Court ruling on lavatories for transgender people, a union has said. The University and College Union has said transgender women should be allowed to use women's facilities and transgender men should be allowed to use the men's lavatories. Its congress voted to 'stand shoulder to shoulder with the trans community' after the Supreme Court last month ruled that the words 'woman' and 'sex' in the Equality Act 2010 refer to a biological woman and biological sex. In the wake of the ruling, the Equality and Human Rights Commission issued interim guidance, saying trans women 'should not be permitted to use the women's facilities' in workplaces or public-facing services like shops and hospitals, with the same applying for trans men using men's lavatories. More detailed draft guidance was published last week, with a consultation period running until June 30. The guidance says people can be asked to confirm their birth sex so long as it is 'necessary and proportionate for a service provider, those exercising public functions or an association to know an individual's birth sex to be able to discharge their legal obligations'. It cautions that any such question 'should be done in a sensitive way which does not cause discrimination or harassment'. The University and College Union (UCU), which is the UK's largest post-16 education union and represents more than 120,000 education staff, held its congress on Monday where delegates backed four motions committing the union to 'fight back against unprecedented attacks on trans people's human rights'. Jo Grady, the union's general secretary, said: 'Our congress has once again committed our union to stand shoulder to shoulder with the trans community in the fight for equality. 'This year trans people have suffered a wave of attacks against them, but UCU remains steadfast as one of their most vocal allies. 'We refuse to allow trans people to be the collateral of a Right-wing culture war and while they continue to experience violence at home, in the workplace and on the airwaves, we will stand by them.' As a result of one of the motions, the UCU has resolved to call on employers to support the right for staff to use the gendered spaces appropriate to them, saying that the Supreme Court ruling contradicts the current practices that allow this at most post-16 institutions. As part of the motion the congress also committed to issuing a statement to members and on social media platforms 'expressing concern' at the ruling and 'reaffirming our steadfast commitment to defending trans people', and to call on employers to develop and implement trans-inclusive policies 'as a matter of urgency'. Another motion criticised the Government's 'decision to ignore the damning critiques' of the Cass Review, and in its wake the union will write to the Health Secretary condemning the report's findings and methods. Published last year, the review concluded children had been let down by a lack of research and evidence on medical interventions in gender care, which led to NHS England announcing a new plan which requires new referrals into the clinics to have been seen by a GP and mental health specialist or paediatrician first. The UCU will also advocate for healthcare that 'affirms and values' trans people in its letter to Wes Streeting as it criticised the ban on the supply of puberty blockers for young trans people – which was made permanent in December and which means they are not prescribed on the NHS to children for the treatment of gender dysphoria. Plans remain in place to set up a clinical trial into the use of puberty blockers this year, although no patients have yet been recruited while ethical and regulatory approval is awaited. Two motions were concerned with the actions of US president Donald Trump's administration, with one condemning its 'concerted attacks upon trans people'. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Belfast Telegraph
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Belfast Telegraph
UCU calls for staff rights to use facilities matching gender identities
It follows the Supreme Court ruling last month that the words 'woman' and 'sex' in the Equality Act 2010 refer to a biological woman and biological sex. In the wake of the ruling the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) issued interim guidance, saying trans women 'should not be permitted to use the women's facilities' in workplaces or public-facing services like shops and hospitals, with the same applying for trans men using men's toilets. More detailed draft guidance was published last week, with a consultation period running until June 30. The guidance says people can be asked to confirm their birth sex so long as it is 'necessary and proportionate for a service provider, those exercising public functions or an association to know an individual's birth sex to be able to discharge their legal obligations'. It cautions that any such question 'should be done in a sensitive way which does not cause discrimination or harassment'. The University and College Union (UCU), which is the UK's largest post-16 education union and represents more than 120,000 education staff, held its congress on Monday where delegates backed four motions committing the union to 'fight back against unprecedented attacks on trans people's human rights'. General secretary Jo Grady said: 'Our congress has once again committed our union to stand shoulder to shoulder with the trans community in the fight for equality. 'This year trans people have suffered a wave of attacks against them, but UCU remains steadfast as one of their most vocal allies. 'We refuse to allow trans people to be the collateral of a right-wing culture war and while they continue to experience violence at home, in the workplace and on the airwaves, we will stand by them.' As a result of one of the motions, the UCU has resolved to call on employers to support the right for staff to use the gendered spaces appropriate to them, saying that the Supreme Court ruling contradicts the current practices that allow this at most post-16 institutions. As part of the motion the congress also committed to issuing a statement to members and on social media platforms 'expressing concern' at the ruling and 'reaffirming our steadfast commitment to defending trans people', and to call on employers to develop and implement trans-inclusive policies 'as a matter of urgency'. Another motion criticised the Government's 'decision to ignore the damning critiques' of the Cass Review, and in its wake the union will write to the Health Secretary condemning the report's findings and methods. Published last year, the review concluded children had been let down by a lack of research and evidence on medical interventions in gender care, which led to NHS England announcing a new plan which requires new referrals into the clinics to have been seen by a GP and mental health specialist or paediatrician first. The UCU will also advocate for healthcare that 'affirms and values' trans people in its letter to Wes Streeting as it criticised the ban on the supply of puberty blockers for young trans people – which was made permanent in December and which means they are not prescribed on the NHS to children for the treatment of gender dysphoria. Plans remain in place to set up a clinical trial into the use of puberty blockers this year, although no patients have yet been recruited while ethical and regulatory approval is awaited. Two motions were concerned with the actions of US President Donald Trump's administration, with one condemning its 'concerted attacks upon trans people'.
Powys County Times
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Powys County Times
UCU calls for staff rights to use facilities matching gender identities
The union representing staff at universities has called on employers to support the right for workers to use gendered facilities which match gender identities, as its congress voted to 'stand shoulder to shoulder with the trans community'. It follows the Supreme Court ruling last month that the words 'woman' and 'sex' in the Equality Act 2010 refer to a biological woman and biological sex. In the wake of the ruling the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) issued interim guidance, saying trans women 'should not be permitted to use the women's facilities' in workplaces or public-facing services like shops and hospitals, with the same applying for trans men using men's toilets. More detailed draft guidance was published last week, with a consultation period running until June 30. The guidance says people can be asked to confirm their birth sex so long as it is 'necessary and proportionate for a service provider, those exercising public functions or an association to know an individual's birth sex to be able to discharge their legal obligations'. It cautions that any such question 'should be done in a sensitive way which does not cause discrimination or harassment'. The University and College Union (UCU), which is the UK's largest post-16 education union and represents more than 120,000 education staff, held its congress on Monday where delegates backed four motions committing the union to 'fight back against unprecedented attacks on trans people's human rights'. General secretary Jo Grady said: 'Our congress has once again committed our union to stand shoulder to shoulder with the trans community in the fight for equality. 'This year trans people have suffered a wave of attacks against them, but UCU remains steadfast as one of their most vocal allies. 'We refuse to allow trans people to be the collateral of a right-wing culture war and while they continue to experience violence at home, in the workplace and on the airwaves, we will stand by them.' As a result of one of the motions, the UCU has resolved to call on employers to support the right for staff to use the gendered spaces appropriate to them, saying that the Supreme Court ruling contradicts the current practices that allow this at most post-16 institutions. As part of the motion the congress also committed to issuing a statement to members and on social media platforms 'expressing concern' at the ruling and 'reaffirming our steadfast commitment to defending trans people', and to call on employers to develop and implement trans-inclusive policies 'as a matter of urgency'. Another motion criticised the Government's 'decision to ignore the damning critiques' of the Cass Review, and in its wake the union will write to the Health Secretary condemning the report's findings and methods. Published last year, the review concluded children had been let down by a lack of research and evidence on medical interventions in gender care, which led to NHS England announcing a new plan which requires new referrals into the clinics to have been seen by a GP and mental health specialist or paediatrician first. The UCU will also advocate for healthcare that 'affirms and values' trans people in its letter to Wes Streeting as it criticised the ban on the supply of puberty blockers for young trans people – which was made permanent in December and which means they are not prescribed on the NHS to children for the treatment of gender dysphoria. Plans remain in place to set up a clinical trial into the use of puberty blockers this year, although no patients have yet been recruited while ethical and regulatory approval is awaited. Two motions were concerned with the actions of US President Donald Trump's administration, with one condemning its 'concerted attacks upon trans people'.
