Transgender Care English clinic closed – deemed unsafe for patients

The decision to close the Tavistock Clinic follows an independent and ongoing review of the business. Deficiencies identified are, among others, extreme waiting times, lack of documentation and unsafe treatments.

One of the most controversial issues concerns hormonal therapies for children. The report states that it is unclear whether the treatment helps patients.

Psychiatrist Marcus Evans, formerly of Tavistock, welcomed the decision to close.

– We’re doing things with young bodies that have long-term consequences, but there’s an alarming lack of research, he tells SVT.

The clinic, which was the only one in England and Wales, will be replaced by new regional clinics linked to Children’s Hospitals.

Risky treatment

Mikael Landen is Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Gothenburg and his View the scientific basis Hormone therapy in children. He believes that the situation in Sweden is similar to the situation in England. In both countries, the number of people seeking treatment for gender dysphoria increased sharply. The most increased group is teenage girls, who have experienced gender dysphoria later in life and often have other psychological problems.

The National Council for Health and Welfare and Mikael Landen have both come to the conclusion that the state of research regarding the benefits of hormonal therapies is very uncertain.

– However, we know that there are risks. When you then have to weigh the benefit against the risk and we don’t have a known benefit, says Mikael Landin, it becomes difficult to recommend this treatment.

– I think you should do as in Great Britain, take a step back and say, ‘It went wrong, now we’re going to change’.

‘worse for patients’

He believes that the care did not take into account other factors underlying the welfare of the care seekers.

– They neglected to treat autism, ADHD, anxiety problems and other things that might be behind it. If you put everything under one hat and ignore everything else, he says, you make it worse for patients.

The National Board of Health and Care changed its recommendation for hormone therapy this spring. It should only be given in exceptional cases or as part of research studies, as per the new recommendation.

Task review in several programs revealed how children were harmed in the care of transients. here You can see the latest.