NHS gender identity service for children can’t cope with demand, review finds

The gender identity service at the Tavistock and Portman NHS foundation trust in London has waiting lists of up to two years. Photograph: Jeffrey Blackler/Alamy

The only NHS gender identity service for children in England and Wales is under unsustainable pressure as the demand for the service outstrips capacity, a review has found.

The interim report of the Cass Review, commissioned by NHS England in 2020, recommends that a network of regional hubs be created to provide care and support to young people with gender incongruence or dysphoria, arguing their care is “everyone’s business”.