HSE ‘should cut its link to transgender clinic in UK’
IRISH clinicians are urging the HSE to cease its relationship with a controversial transgender clinic as they believe the recommendations it is giving teenage patients are ‘not fit for purpose’.
Experts here are refusing to accept direct referrals from the Tavistock centre, which treats transgender teenagers, after a series of resignations from the centre, the Irish Mail on Sunday can reveal.
It is understood more than a dozen patients could be immediately affected.
Consultants Professor Donal O’Shea and Dr Paul Moran have formally requested an urgent meeting with Health Minister Simon Harris to relay their concerns for the welfare and safety of Irish children and teenagers as a result of the clinic’s recommendations.
The doctors are insisting teens presenting with gender dysphoria be seen by their GP before receiving hospital treatment in Dublin.
Due to the absence of a dedicated service in Ireland for under-18s who question their gender identity, their GPs refer them to the Tavistock centre, a mental health trust and the only NHS transgender clinic for children in Britain.
However, following a number of Tavistock board resignations, the centre has become embroiled in controversy.
Marcus Evans, a governor of the trust, resigned over his serious concerns about ‘what is going on in the gender identity world’. It follows a damning internal report claiming the trust’s Gender Identity Development Service was ‘not fit for purpose’.
Irish consultant endocrinologist Donal O’Shea told the Irish Mail on Sunday reports he has received from Tavistock in relation to teenagers referred to them are ‘not fit for purpose and, in some cases, are not received at all’.
‘Some patients are being told they are ready to start crosshormone therapy, or are recommended for surgery, and they are not.’
Despite this, in October the HSE extended its agreement with Tavistock indefinitely.
Irish consultant psychiatrist Dr Paul Moran said: ‘The service in place with Tavistock does not appear to be safe or properly managed. We need a proper paediatric gender service which is part of a national joined-up service. We also can’t do this work without a psychiatric assessment, due to the number presenting with mental health needs. It has to be done in Ireland and not outsourced to Tavistock.’
Correspondence sent to Tavistock chief Polly Carmichael from Irish clinicians – seen by the MoS – shows any referrals to them must go via patients’ own GPs in Ireland.
A Tavistock spokesman said: ‘The Irish service is developing rapidly. There are clearly important discussions to be had about liaison with adult services. We have every confidence the Gender Identity Development Service supports in Ireland are thorough and wide-ranging in relation to assessing gender dysphoria in young people.’
A HSE spokesman said: ‘The HSE has worked with the leading clinicians in Ireland and representatives of the transgender community to develop an agreed model of care. We now have a planned and funded commitment to have the services delivered by a full staff team based in Ireland and we are currently recruiting to those posts. Tavistock… are supporting us to transition this service to Irish clinicians.’
Both Prof. O’Shea and Dr Moran want to speak to Mr Harris about the model of care they advocate for transgender people as well as the implications of the the forthcoming Gender Recognition (Amendment) Bill, if it is passed.
Prof. O’Shea argues for a psychiatric model of care, a model opposed by transgender advocacy groups. ‘There are serious ongoing attempts by lobby groups to nucleate psychiatry, we can’t allow that to happen.’
Irish experts’ concerns over ‘unsafe’ clinic