Implementing advice from the Cass Review

NHS England is committed to improving and expanding gender services for children and young people to ensure that they receive safe, responsive, holistic care.

The Cass Review was an independent review of NHS gender identity services for children and young people, commissioned by NHS England in 2020. The final report from this review was published in April 2024.

NHS England’s implementation plan outlines the steps that we have already taken, guided by interim advice from Dr Cass, and sets out how we will take forward the recommendations made in the final report.

Correspondence

Engagement on NHS services for detransitioners

NHS England is setting up a programme to develop an NHS pathway of care for adults who have previously undergone a medical transition and subsequently wish to detransition.

The programme forms part of NHS England’s work to take forward the recommendations of the independent review of gender services for children and young people (the Cass Review), one of which was to ensure that there is provision for individuals considering clinical detransition.

The review found that the data and research on detransition is emergent. Similarly, there are no official guidelines in the UK for health and care professionals to use when providing care for people who wish to clinically detransition.

As a first step towards addressing these gaps, NHS England is keen to hear from people who have detransitioned, or are considering doing so, who can share their experiences to shape this work as it develops.  If you are interested in getting involved, please email us: england.scengagement@nhs.net and we will contact you to arrange an initial confidential conversation.

NHS England data linkage study – understanding the needs and healthcare experience of former Tavistock GIDS (Gender Identity Development Service) patients

This study was initially conceived during the Cass Review but has since transferred to NHS England to deliver.

It aims to fill some key gaps in our knowledge about the needs of children and young people who were referred to the Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) and what sort of care and support they have received.

Former GIDS patients will not need to provide any new information for the study.  Instead the study makes use of healthcare data already collected by NHS gender services and from other national healthcare datasets and will ultimately help us learn from the experiences of former GIDS patients in order to improve the care that the NHS can deliver in the future.

As we head into the delivery phase of the study, we would like to engage with former GIDS patients, to help us to ensure that information about the study is easily available and reflects the kinds of questions former GIDS patients may ask, to co-design patient materials including the study-specific data opt out, and to help us ensure that the study findings are clearly communicated.

If you were referred to the GIDS service between 2009 and 2024, are now over 18, and interested in helping us to take this research forward, please get in touch with us at england.scengagement@nhs.net for an initial conversation.