The Tavistock clinic was previously the sole facility in England and Wales dedicated to treating children with gender dysphoria. Following significant referral increases, it closed before the Cass review, which found the NHS had not adequately supported children. The review advocated for holistic care over medical interventions, influencing referral protocols. Consequently, referrals dropped from up to 280 monthly to 20-30. The review cited weak evidence on the benefits of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones, leading to a ban on puberty-blocking drugs, significantly impacting treatment approaches in the NHS.
The Cass review found that children had been let down by the NHS amid a toxic public discourse, recommending a shift towards a holistic approach to care.
James Palmer notes that young people can now only be referred for youth gender services through mental health or paediatric specialists, contributing to a decrease in referrals.
The exponential rise in referrals at Tavistock halted, dropping from 280 a month to between 20 and 30 as a result of the changes implemented post-Cass review.
Cass concluded there was remarkably weak evidence supporting puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones' effectiveness, prompting a temporary and subsequently indefinite ban on puberty-blocking drugs.
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