Doctors need to be “careful” about the decisions children make about their gender, said Health Secretary Steve Barclay, who called for “greater transparency” in the process.
“We have to be careful about what decisions very young children make and what stage of life they are in,” he told MPs when asked about what is being done to improve care for children with gender dysphoria.
“We need to make sure we empower the patient, but reflect the stage of life they’re in, before making decisions that will be hard to reverse.”
He then told the Commons Health and Social Care Committee that one of the “problems” of treatment at the now-closed Tavistock Clinic for Children’s Gender Identity in Belsize Park, North West London, was a “lack of transparency” about the measures taken and the way people were held accountable. .
He told the committee that he would address the issue through “much more transparency.”
Founded 33 years ago, the clinic, one of the world’s oldest services for gender imbalanced children and adolescents, will close in a few months.
An independent review was conducted last year by lead pediatrician Dr. S. Hilary Kass. Interim report Criticizing the pressure and lack of oversight from Tavistock’s Gender Identity Development Service, Kass warned that “the rapid increase in the number of children in need of support and the complex mix of cases mean that a single clinical model with national service providers is permanent.” “not portable”.
Her report says that long waiting lists mean that a large number of children cannot receive any support at all, and that the clinic is in a crisis with rapid staff turnover. GIDS data shows that 11,000 children were on the waiting list for admission to the clinic in the months leading up to the closure.
The clinic is also facing legal action as the law firm seeks a class-action lawsuit alleging former patients struggle with “permanent physical and psychological scars.”
The closure means the UK will no longer have a dedicated gender identity clinic for those under 18, but new regional centers will be set up to “ensure that the comprehensive needs” of “vulnerable” young patients are fully met, NHS England said.
Mr Barclay also told the committee that there is “variation” in the NHS when it comes to the culture of identifying and addressing care issues. In response to questions about addressing maternity issues, he was asked if he believed there was a culture in the NHS that needed to change.
Mr Barclay responded: “I think there are differences within the NHS and you see that some areas are very good and others cause constant problems. The question is how quickly they are recognized and how quickly action is taken to intervene.”
He returned to the issue of transparency when it comes to “collecting” cases from hospitals. He said patient safety incidents and how they are reported and how whistleblowers are dealt with should be investigated in maternity hospitals. Mr. Barclay also emphasized “data transparency,” which he says allows analysis of performance changes and allows for more targeted investigation of problems.
Source: I News
I’m Raymond Molina, a professional writer and journalist with over 5 years of experience in the media industry. I currently work for 24 News Reporters, where I write for the health section of their news website. In my role, I am responsible for researching and writing stories on current health trends and issues. My articles are often seen as thought-provoking pieces that provide valuable insight into the state of society’s wellbeing.