"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 review conducted by Dr David Levy, an NHS medical director and cancer specialist, was commissioned after last year's Cass report on gender care for children and young people. 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, interviewing staff and patients. His report found that the clinics' failure to study outcomes for their patients made it impossible to judge the safety of these services."
Outcomes for patients at NHS adult gender dysphoria clinics are not systematically recorded, preventing assessment of treatment effectiveness or safety. Waiting times for a first appointment are projected to reach 15 years without improvements, and average current waits are five years and seven months. Demand for treatment is rising significantly. Long waiting lists are generating safety risks, with some patients self-sourcing hormone drugs from high-risk online providers abroad. Patients often seek information and support online before clinical assessment, complicating care because some online information may be inaccurate. There is virtually no other data from adult clinics, making analysis of responses to hormones and psychological support impossible.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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