Long waits and ‘unacceptable’ lack of data at NHS gender clinics in England, review finds

Levy, an NHS medical director and cancer specialist, took a team to nine NHS England clinics to assess the effectiveness and safety of each service. Photograph: Shivansh Gupta/PA

Doctors treating vulnerable patients with gender dysphoria have no way of assessing whether the NHS treatment provided has worked because outcomes are not systematically recorded, a damning official inquiry into the clinics has found.

Waiting times for a first appointment at NHS adult gender dysphoria clinics (GDCs) in England are projected to reach 15 years unless there are improvements, the review found. The number of people seeking treatment is rising significantly and on average patients are already waiting five years and seven months for a first assessment.