England’s first registered private clinic for young people is ‘outstanding’ – The Irish News

The first private gender clinic for young people in England to be registered with the health watchdog has been judged outstanding.

Gender Plus Hormone Clinic, based in Birmingham, was registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in January and underwent its first inspection in September.

He treats people aged 16 and over, including prescribing gender-affirming hormones – masculinizing or feminizing.

It does not prescribe puberty blockers, in line with a ban introduced earlier this year preventing the drug from being prescribed by EU or private prescribers and limiting NHS provision to clinical trials.

The clinic was established by Dr Aidan Kelly and is run by consultant nurse Paul Carruthers, both of whom previously worked at the now-closed Gender Identity Development Service (Gids), which was run by the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust.

In its inspection report published on Wednesday, the CQC – which reviewed 10 patient files, observed three consultations and spoke with 21 patients and their families as well as seven members of staff – praised the “health-focused care and treatment patient” of the private clinic.

The report said: “There was evidence of a strong learning culture and patients were cared for in a safe environment.

“Strong processes were in place to assess patient needs using evidence-based advice. Staff provided patient-centered care and treatment to patients.

“Governance processes were in place and effective, and staff knew their roles and responsibilities. »

The regulator said it found the clinic was “using medicines in accordance with national guidelines and the Cass Review”.

It said: “National legislation and associated guidelines restrict the further prescribing of anti-puberty hormones for the treatment of gender incongruity or gender dysphoria in children and young people under 18 years of age.

“The clinic had sought advice from the government and a lawyer to ensure that it was practicing within the law and that it could only use these drugs when prescribing feminizing treatment and when puberty was fully established .”

The clinic was rated outstanding for its efficiency, responsiveness, caring and good leadership, and was rated good for its safety.

Although the clinic operates in Birmingham, patients can also book appointments in London and Leeds, and the service said it has seen 152 UK patients since registering.

The patients are mainly aged 16 to 25, add service managers.

Dr Kelly, consultant clinical psychologist and director of the clinic, described the inspection process as having been “rigorous”, but said it was an “opportunity to really show what can and should look like transgender health care.”

He said: “Our process and everything that goes with how we administer our approach to holistic healthcare aims to ensure the best outcomes for patients’ mental and physical wellbeing.

“This is just the beginning, we will continue to advocate for access to care for this community and work toward continued improvement in transgender health care.” »

Mr Carruthers, who leads the service, said: “Our service was created to close the ever-widening gap that exists in access to safe, effective and well-led healthcare for this patient population.

“We have pooled our collective expertise in working with trans people and their support networks to create a service that truly listens and responds to their needs, delivering the healthcare that trans people deserve.

“I am very grateful to my team for their tireless work to provide the best possible care to this community. »

A third NHS children’s gender clinic for patients across England and Wales opened in Bristol in November, following in the footsteps of two centers run by London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital (Gosh) and the Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Liverpool, opened in April.

In total, up to eight new NHS children’s gender clinics – aimed at children of all ages – are expected to open by 2026.

They are being created as part of NHS England’s plan to transform gender-based care for children, following the closure of Gids and the publication of the Cass Review which concluded that children had been let down by a lack of research and evidence on medical interventions in gender care. .

Figures released earlier this year showed more than 5,000 young people under 18 were on the national waiting list for gender support at the end of May, with an average wait time of 100 weeks – and that the youngest person waiting was under the age of five.

The NHSE said its new approach to caring for children, which requires children newly referred for gender care to have first been seen by a GP and a mental health specialist or pediatrician, aims to add safety nets, rather than additional barriers, in child care.

This follows Dr Hilary Cass’s recommendation that care should be “holistic and personal”, possibly including screening for neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism, as well as a mental health assessment.