This story was first published in digitalhealth.net
Treating children with gender identity issues ‘complicated’
NHS England's gender identity development service has said that solving gender identity issues in children is complicated, and is not always going to be the answer to everything.
As referrals to the service have more than tripled since 2015, the experts have said that patients ‘need help from all sides’, because many of the under-18s are also dealing with mental health problems.
Fewer than half of the 2,590 young people who have been referred decided to have any physical treatments.
Most children and young people experiencing distress over their gender identity being seen are aged 14 to 16, going through puberty, and more than two-thirds are female at birth. The NHS clinics do not provide hormone blockers until the child has started puberty, and cross-sex hormones are only given from around the age of 16.
The Tavistock and Portman NHS clinic in London, which was the first gender identity clinic to be set up in the UK, has now been joined by two others in Leeds and Bristol. Another clinic in Birmingham is in the pipeline.
Dr Polly Carmichael, consultant clinical psychologist and director of the Gender Identity Development Service (Gids), said: "We think about all the needs of young people and try and work closely with local services to clearly manage risk around self-harm, and other difficulties, but also to raise awareness around gender issues.
"I think there is sometimes a danger there can be a split - if someone is presenting with issues around their gender identity, that local services perhaps think that's going to be the answer to everything. Whereas in reality it's a complicated picture that needs to be addressed from all sides."
Latest News
16/02/2024 - 12:56
Hammersmith and Fulham Council has created a new alliance intended to clean dirty air and improve residents' health.
16/02/2024 - 10:44
Two million more GP appointments a month are being delivered for patients compared to the same month before the pandemic as part of the NHS primary care access recovery plan according to new NHS data.
15/02/2024 - 10:26
The Welsh Government has provided innovation funding of £380,000 to support two projects utilising technology in domiciliary care.
15/02/2024 - 10:13
The new Scottish health secretary has met with frontline staff at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.
14/02/2024 - 10:27
The North East London NHS Foundation Trust (NELFT) has appointed three new Executive Directors to the Trust Board.
Product Features
UK Building Regulations highlight toxic gas and smoke from layers of paint built up over multiple redecorations as a major cause of permanent ill health or death in a building fire.
Their concern rose with discovery the flame retardant paints most widely used paint along escape routes have been ones which to this day counter-productively use emission of heavy toxic gas to smother flames which rapidly spread along walls if layers of paint delaminate in a fire.
Supplier Profiles
Northwich’s Victoria Infirmary (VIN) Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) has enabled more patients
Adveco, the commercial hot water specialist, announces the launch of live metering of domestic ho
Latest Features
Sarah Greenslade, public affairs and communications officer at the British Parking Association looks at some of the problems and innovations in healthcare parking
It’s easy to assume that the comms team is there to handle press enquiries and the occasional social media storm – but the reality is that strategic communications can make a measurable impact across the entire organisation, from operational to financial, when done properly
