A Glasgow gender clinic has come under fire after safety guidelines about the care it gives to vulnerable children and young people will not be published for over a year.
Among other services, Sandyford clinic prescribes, cross sex hormones puberty blockers and surgery as a solution those with severe mental health problems relating to gender identity. Patients can refer themselves directly to the services via email.
Earlier this year a similar centre in England, Tavistock, was closed down following the groundbreaking Cass report. The report's findings sparked a 'transformation' of care for those questioning gender or struggling with gender identity in England, reports the Scottish Daily Express.
In Scotland, current standards have been found to pressure young people into making life-changing decisions about their bodies that include cross sex hormones and puberty blockers. SNP ministers ordered fresh guidance for Scotland.
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This, however, is not due to be published until December 2023 which campaigners fear is 'not urgent enough'.
SOS Scotland, a school advocacy group said: "This is a good step but having to wait until December 2023 for information on guidance doesn’t feel urgent enough. The guidance in schools should be removed in the meantime."
David Bell, the psychiatrist who brought attention to Gids, has since called for the Sandyford clinic to close because the model is similar to the Tavistock regime. Bell’s intervention was endorsed by Robin Harper, former leader of the Scottish Green Party and a former guidance teacher, and Joanna Cherry, a QC and feminist SNP MP.
NHS Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS), which is tasked with improving Scottish healthcare, told The Times last week that it had never been asked to inspect, review or carry out improvement work with the Sandyford young gender clinic. However, yesterday HIS confirmed that the Scottish Government has now ordered it to work on a package of standards for the gender clinic.
For Women Scotland said: "This is simply not good enough. As Dr Bell says, a protracted review period is unnecessary when they can refer back to Cass.
"And no word on the unsafe, experimental use of drugs which has been halted in E&W but will continue in Scotland."
A spokesman for the Scottish Government said: “In December 2021, Scottish Government published a strategic action framework for NHS gender identity service improvement. With NHS Scotland partners, we are working to implement commitments set out within that framework.
“The framework describes how we will fund work to address waiting times, new ways of delivering multi-disciplinary care and support for people waiting to access services. Commitments within this document include commissioning Healthcare Improvement Scotland to develop national standards for these clinical services.”
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