London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Sep 03, 2025

Javid orders inquiry into NHS gender identity services for under-18s – reports

Javid orders inquiry into NHS gender identity services for under-18s – reports

The health secretary is planning an overhaul of services offered to young people who question their gender identity, the Times reports
An inquiry into the impact on under-18s of NHS treatment for gender dysphoria is to be launched by the UK government, according to reports.

The health secretary, Sajid Javid, is said to be concerned that vulnerable children are being given gender hormone treatment before alternatives have been explored, according to the Times, and is planning an overhaul of services.

It comes after an interim report published last month by the Cass Review, an independent review into the NHS’s gender identity services for children and young people.

The review said services have “evolved rapidly and organically” in response to increased demand, but that that has meant they have “not been subjected to some of the normal quality controls” typically applied to new treatments.

It added that there is a “lack of consensus and open discussion about the nature of gender dysphoria and therefore about the appropriate clinical response”.

The inquiry, now expected to form part of the review, will look at legal changes that would grant it access to an NHS database of people who received hormone treatment as children and later regretted it.

Javid is said to have compared political sensitivities around the treatment of young people with gender dysphoria to those that stymied investigations into the Rotherham grooming gangs, the Times reported.

Asked about the issue in the Commons this week, Javid said the interim findings of the Cass Review had already shown that NHS services “are too narrow … overly affirmative, and in fact … are bordering on ideological”.

“That is why in this emerging area, of course we need to be absolutely sensitive, but we need to make sure that there is holistic care that is provided, that there’s not a one-way street, and that all medical interventions are based on the best clinical evidence,” he said.

There is currently a single specialist service – the Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS), run by the Tavistock and Portman NHS foundation trust – providing gender identity services for children and young people.

The service sees about 2,500 children a year, about 200 of whom are given some form of hormone treatment.

In September, the court of appeal upheld the right of the trust to give puberty-blocking drugs to under-16s judged to be mature enough to give informed consent.

The report noted that a lack of “routine and consistent” data about who is being referred for treatment means it is “not possible to accurately track” outcomes.

A spokesperson for the trust said: “We agree that support should be holistic, based on the best available evidence, and that no assumptions should be made about the right outcome for any given young person.

“At GIDS, we take a young person’s sense of themselves seriously. Some may refer to this approach as ‘affirmative’. However, being respectful of someone’s identity does not preclude exploration.”

The Department of Health and Social Care declined to comment.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
×