Transgender Children’s Healthcare in the UK – Navigating the Complexities
As a Transgender Advocacy Organisation, we receive many requests from parents concerned that their offspring are gender-questioning or perhaps have come to realise they are trans. TransLucent is not a personal support organisation; however, we can recommend both Mermaids and Gendered Intelligence, which can offer this service.
TransLucent’s focus is on advocating for the human rights of trans and gender-diverse people. As such, we have extensive (award-winning) knowledge of the mechanics behind many aspects of trans people’s struggles in everyday life, particularly healthcare or, to be more precise, the lack of healthcare.
Transgender Children’s Healthcare in the UK – Overview
In regards to transgender children’s healthcare, this can be heartbreaking as, incredibly, numerous (often evangelically funded) so-called “gender-critical” organisations demand that gender-questioning children should not receive healthcare, with some advocating a route of so-called Conversion Therapy. Even within the NHS, there is evidence that some Practitioners advocate, perhaps practice, varying forms of Conversion Therapy. However, with the current move to the Multi-Disciplinary Teams (MDTs) model, we would like to think the chances of that happening are remote.
NHS waiting times for gender-questioning children are currently at nearly six years, a staggering figure that makes effective gender-affirming healthcare via the NHS virtually impossible. Any child now seeking a first appointment after the age of eleven would have no chance of being seen until an adult – at that point, they need to start the whole application process again as they get shuffled into the broken adult trans healthcare system. This is a crisis that demands immediate attention and action.
To make issues still worse, successive governments took notice of a massive campaign from Evangelical and gender-critical hate organisations and those who were intentionally placed within the NHS and are now directly advising the Government.
Transgender Children’s Healthcare in the UK – Puberty Blockers
This now means for British trans children, a medication known as “Puberty Blockers” (aka GnRH analogues) used to delay puberty in gender-questioning children is effectively banned until they are sixteen, which at that age puberty is well underway and possibly finished. While the majority (78%) of gender-questioning children were not prescribed puberty blockers in the past, they are a highly efficient medication for transgender children.
Puberty blockers have been used for decades and are still in use in many other (European) countries very successfully. The same medication is prescribed and deemed safe for use in the UK on younger children to treat precocious puberty.
First discovered in the 1970s, Puberty Blockers were first used in Trans healthcare in Holland three decades ago. TransLucents’ position on puberty blockers is that they are instrumental in the healthcare of young trans adults. To that effect, we and other Organisations have made representations to both the Commission on Human Medicines (CHM) and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).
In a government (DHSC) consultation regarding prescribing puberty blockers by private healthcare providers, 59% of fifty-one respondents favoured puberty blockers being made available – the Government ignored this advice, risking massive compensation payouts in years to come to transgender youth. Government payouts in compensation are becoming more commonplace – look no further than the Post Office Scandal, the Infected Blood Scandal and Windrush.
While this article may seem highly critical of the CHM, NHS, DHSC, and the UK Labour Government, we recognise that current and proposed protocols within the NHS may suffice for some children. However, for other children and adolescents, the NHS health system is unsatisfactory, leaving patients at risk of self-harm and suicidal ideation.
We recognise that trans children exist, often making this clear to parents at an early age.
While we agree that puberty blockers should undergo a research trial and that, for some gender-questioning children, transition may be the best option, it is also clear the NHS cannot support this group of patients in a safe, time-effective journey.
Transgender Children’s Healthcare in the UK – Other Options
Due to the numerous issues within the NHS, many parents are forced to resort to private healthcare for their children, sometimes travelling outside of the UK so they can be prescribed puberty blockers legally and, depending on age, hormones – oestrogen for trans women and testosterone for trans men. One UK-based company will provide this service.
Another private healthcare provider based outside of the UK but with a large British clientele will prescribe medication similar to puberty blockers, but they come with differing benefits and risks. Other UK-based private providers will provide psychotherapy, holistic care or other psychiatric help.
Occasionally, desperate parents who don’t have available funds decide to self-medicate their children, and obviously, this action carries significant risk.
We always urge parents to use professional healthcare providers who operate according to the WPATH (SOC 8) protocol.
Transgender Children’s Healthcare in the UK – Our Mission
TransLucent will continue to fight for improved healthcare for everyone, trans or not. Our resilience in the face of these challenges should inspire hope and determination in our readers.
If you can donate to our cause (we are not Government funded), we would be very grateful. Your support is invaluable to us. Thank you.
