‘Ideological’ doctors face trans crackdown

DOCTORS treating those seeking to change gender will face a crackdown from watchdogs, the Health Secretary has said.

Victoria Atkins met the General Medical Council over the weekend as part of efforts to ensure that medics who attempt to break rules banning prescription of puberty blockers face the most stringent action – including being struck off.

Ms Atkins told the Commons that “nothing is off the table” to ensure that “clinicians who subscribe to gender ideology” cannot “get around the rules”.

This could include legislation to prevent private clinics and online services registered abroad being able to prescribe puberty blockers, she said.

Ms Atkins said that she would work with health chiefs to “root out the ideology that has caused so much unnecessary harm, to support those who have already received life-altering treatment, to give the next generation access to holistic care and to protect our children’s futures.”

She said it was “morally and medically reprehensible” that some online providers not registered in the UK had stated their intention to continue prescribing to children.

“I am looking closely at closing, what can be done to curtail any loopholes and prescribing practices, including legislative options, nothing is off the table, and I will update the House in due course,” she said.

Ms Atkins said prescribing was a “highly regulated activity” with no gender clinics licensed to prescribe hormone blockers or cross-sex hormones to people under the age of 16.

“Any clinic that does may be committing extremely serious regulatory offences for which they can have their licence revoked, and their clinicians can be struck off,” she said.

Officials have been in contact with regulator the Care Quality Commission to ask them to look closely at age thresholds in making licensing decisions.