The U.K.’s National Health Service — yes, the NHS — is actually getting some major props from American conservatives today, thanks to their policy with regard to administering puberty blockers to children purportedly suffering from gender dysphoria.
NEW: NHS England has confirmed puberty blockers for young people with gender incongruence will only be administered as part of clinical research. It comes as NHSE publishes the service specification that will guide the new gender services that will replace the Tavistock’s GIDS
— Hannah Barnes (@hannahsbee) June 9, 2023
NHSE says it will propose: “outside of a research setting, puberty suppressing hormones should not be routinely commissioned for children and adolescents who have gender incongruence/dysphoria.”https://t.co/kF0oFC4724
— Hannah Barnes (@hannahsbee) June 9, 2023
The interim service spec is v similar to the draft published in Oct 2022, with primary intervention for YPs being psychosocial & psychological support. The main objective is 'to alleviate distress associated with gender incongruence and promote the individual’s… wellbeing.’
— Hannah Barnes (@hannahsbee) June 9, 2023
The doc acknowledges that there will be a range of pathways suitable for YP and a range of outcomes. It repeats assertion from the draft that, ‘The clinical approach should be mindful that this [experience of gender incongruence/dysphoria] may be a transient phase.’
— Hannah Barnes (@hannahsbee) June 9, 2023
Recommended
A transient phase, you say? Stop making sense!
The relationship between a young person’s gender incongruence and any other co-existing mental health, neurodevelopmental or personal complexities, will be carefully explored and an individualised care plan developed for each YP. Gone is any talk of a time limited assessment
— Hannah Barnes (@hannahsbee) June 9, 2023
But, all children and young people will receive ‘a standardised comprehensive assessment’ – addressing the findings from both the CQC and Dr Cass that GIDS assessments could vary widely, depending on the individual clinicians conducting them.
— Hannah Barnes (@hannahsbee) June 9, 2023
The service specification is cautious on social transition – defined by NHSE as presenting ‘in public fully with a gender identity different to that of their natal sex in all forms and aspects of their daily lives.’
— Hannah Barnes (@hannahsbee) June 9, 2023
The doc says that ‘While there are different views on the benefits versus the harms of early social transition, it is important to acknowledge that it is not a neutral act.’ Clinicians shd discuss with young people and their families ‘the risks and benefits of social transition.’
— Hannah Barnes (@hannahsbee) June 9, 2023
For younger, pre-pubescent children, the general clinical approach will be therapeutic. Often, the document says, children will be most appropriately supported by local services – ‘ with or without consultation support from the Specialist Service.'
— Hannah Barnes (@hannahsbee) June 9, 2023
The new gender services will undertake continuous data collection and audit, something found to be lacking in the past. New services will also be underpinned by ‘robust safeguarding frameworks.’
— Hannah Barnes (@hannahsbee) June 9, 2023
As in draft doc, NHSE ‘strongly discourages’ families from sourcing puberty blockers or hormones from unregulated sources or on-line providers that aren't regulated by UK regulatory bodies. But, there's no longer a call for mandatory safeguarding reporting in these circumstances.
— Hannah Barnes (@hannahsbee) June 9, 2023
And, finally, on staffing – the specification repeats Dr Cass’s recommendation that the new services must be staffed by professionals with a wider range of expertise, including: psychological, mental and physical health, safeguarding, gender identity development (cont…)
— Hannah Barnes (@hannahsbee) June 9, 2023
management of risk-taking behaviours, trauma informed approaches, family work/family therapy, CBT, Neurodevelopment disorders including learning disability and autism spectrum conditions, expertise to support Looked After children.
Here's the full doc: https://t.co/F0GrZHFJ7A
END— Hannah Barnes (@hannahsbee) June 9, 2023
This is genuinely shocking … but in the best way. You can count the number of times conservatives have praised the NHS on one hand. Maybe even less. But on this, the NHS is taking the right and responsible approach to a very serious problem. They’re taking the approach that should be taken by the Biden administration. And Democrats. And radical LGBTQ+ activists. And radical LGBTQ+ activists masquerading as medical professionals. And woke companies.
Major kudos to the NHS for this.
Hitting the pause button on puberty blockers for minors? That is what the UK is doing, ending “routine” dispensing of blockers “outside of a research setting.”
Devil is always in the details and how it plays out in practice. Still, a big step in the right direction. #gender https://t.co/PacF6QLsIy— Gerald Posner (@geraldposner) June 9, 2023
A very big step in the right direction.
NHS, which by its very nature has always been a liberal institution, now aligns more with the GOP on gender therapy than it aligns with Democrats.
Again, the US is out of step with science and the world wide standard on this. https://t.co/3G4kwsJFkq
— Pradheep J. Shanker (@Neoavatara) June 9, 2023
This is basically the standard most GOP states have accepted. https://t.co/SoJpfpVnI4
— Pradheep J. Shanker (@Neoavatara) June 9, 2023
What have I said on this?
– We need more research (NHS AGREES)
– We need to be more reserved with surgery (NHS AGREES)
– We need to be more reserved with hormones (NHS AGREES)So basically, my opinions have followed mainstream science on this. The Biden/Dem position…hasn't.
— Pradheep J. Shanker (@Neoavatara) June 9, 2023
Generally speaking, our government shouldn’t be taking cues from other countries, but this is a crucial exception. The U.S. needs to be more like England and Scandinavia on the issue of “gender-affirming care” for children.
Good news that NHS England is persisting with a more evidence-based approach to healthcare for children with gender incongruence, along the lines of its draft service specification published last October.https://t.co/DOKTgMl2ZX https://t.co/XqgHtBbFcU
— Sonia Sodha (@soniasodha) June 9, 2023
This is absolutely massive.
The importance of this cannot be understated.
At last, children are being protected from irreversible harm. https://t.co/X9hMbSgrVA
— James Esses (@JamesEsses) June 9, 2023
Unfortunately, as big a step forward as this is, the NHS evidently still has a ways to go when it comes to standing up to the radical LGBTQ+ activists:
THIS IS ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING. Wtf?
"Patients with dementia “should still be challenged” if they express discriminatory views about transgender staff, the 97-page guide states, while their relatives “may be removed from the premises” if they do the same." https://t.co/2soJW0el3P
— Bessie Braddock (@BraddockBessie) June 9, 2023
The report [by NHS Confederation, published earlier this month in partnership with the LGBT Foundation] goes on to say that “the patient has no right to be told that the person treating them is trans or non-binary,” adding: “It would likely be discriminatory for the patient to refuse to be treated or cared for by a trans person, unless clear and evidenced clinical harm may result to the patient.”
Patients with dementia “should still be challenged” if they express discriminatory views about transgender staff, the 97-page guide states, while their relatives “may be removed from the premises” if they do the same.
But a non-binary medic can refuse to treat a patient, with the advice stating they “should not be forced to deliver care if this would cause undue distress or invalidate their lived experience of gender”.
The NHS’ record on very sick and elderly patients is awful enough. But now they’re effectively giving trans/nonbinary medical providers a pass to lecture patients or outright refuse to treat them. That’s outrageous.
“the patient has no right to be told that the person treating them is trans or non-binary,”
Agreed.
But the patient *does* have every right to be told that the person is male or female, if they require or would prefer same-sex carer.
This sex-denying ideology is sick. https://t.co/18vMaeBA7Z pic.twitter.com/nCLUoPjcAU
— Watson (@ImWatson91) June 9, 2023
“The comfort of the staff member should be prioritised” Actually, no. It shouldn’t. Patients come first, not the staff members! That’s how it works for every clinical setting. The patients feelings matter, not the staff member. Do patients have no say in their care anymore? https://t.co/JKKAznceql
— foreverxfighter (@foreverxfighter) June 9, 2023
As a nurse who has worked years in Memory Care units this is sickening and twisted. Goes against everything I was taught. https://t.co/JWKCfmSSK7
— EmilyMichelle (@EmilyMPete) June 9, 2023
This is elder abuse.
— Dina Hinckley (@hinck07) June 9, 2023
Surely haraunging people with dementia is disability discrimination, and possibly age discrimination.
— Orwellwasright Abouttheleft KPSS (@IMissHitchSlaps) June 9, 2023
Exactly!
— Bessie Braddock (@BraddockBessie) June 9, 2023
I am appalled by this! They often don’t even know who their kids are, or think their late partner is still alive. I need to look more closely and will be taking action around it!
— Waking up (@BrainDoctorate) June 9, 2023
This is really triggering for me. My 93yr old dad didn't know who anyone was near the end, & you would have distressed & "challenged" him? 😭 How brutal, how cruel, how have we come to this? 🤬
— DerbyshireHearts (@DerbyshireHeart) June 9, 2023
My dad didn't know who he was or who we were at the end. It makes me really angry. It's cruelty.
— Bessie Braddock (@BraddockBessie) June 9, 2023
Cruelty is exactly what it is. And it’s sanctioned by the National Health Service.
The NHS ostensibly operates under the philosophy that health care is a human right. But apparently that only goes so far.
Trans👏rights👏are👏superior👏to👏human👏rights👏 https://t.co/o7KOrhVVPX pic.twitter.com/4cMHyTxxGN
— Benjamin🧳Boyce (@BenjaminABoyce) June 9, 2023
Twisted.
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