The National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom (UK) announced that it intends to prohibit puberty blockers outside of clinical trials. They also plan to impose stricter regulations on gender transition treatments for minors.. Tavistock Clinic .“We have previously made clear … the intention that the NHS will only commission puberty suppressing hormones as part of clinical research,” said the NHS statement..Clinicians and psychologists have described the decision as one that “will go down in history” for its importance in protecting children's well-being and safety..The guidance for two new regional gender clinics in England has confirmed that hormone-suppressing drugs will not be commonly provided as a “routine practice.”.The newly established regional gender clinics will serve as replacements for the Tavistock gender clinic, which is being closed due to a critical independent review by Dr Hilary Cass, stating that it was “not safe.”.The 25-page NHS document for UK healthcare practitioners said that they “will adopt a holistic, multi-disciplinary integrated approach to assessing and responding to an individual’s needs” and will centre on “fully involving the child or young person and their family.”.“A significant proportion of children and young people who are concerned about, or distressed by, issues of gender incongruence experience coexisting mental health, neuro-developmental and/or personal, family or social complexities in their lives. The relationship between these presentations and gender incongruence may not be readily apparent and will often require careful exploration,” said the document..The NHS also recognized higher “mental health needs and neurodevelopmental disorders” among young people who experience gender dysphoria. These conditions have been identified as commonly co-occurring with gender dysphoria..Under the new protocols, it is now mandatory to include “expertise in the direct assessment of autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and other forms of neurodiversity” in a minor's treatment plan when dealing with gender dysphoria..Children who have already undergone treatment with puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones will be evaluated individually by their healthcare providers. .However, the NHS strongly advises against “sourcing puberty suppressing or gender-affirming hormones from unregulated sources or from online providers that are not regulated by UK regulatory bodies.”
