Are whistleblowers being silenced at the NHS gender clinic?

The Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust carries out some of the most complex and contentious clinical work in the NHS. It deals with children and young people who are experiencing discomfort over their gender identity, but is it raising patient safety concerns?

Some of the children it sees go on to change their legal gender. Some receive physical treatment in the form of puberty-blocking medications. Some go on to have further treatments including cross-sex hormones and surgery.

The service, which is heavily over-subscribed, is a divisive one. A number say it offers vital, even life-changing care to children in great distress and need, others are less positive. The list of concerns raised about the work and processes of GIDS is quite long, and a number come from staff whistleblowers.

Some of these concerns include:

• The unexplained rapid rise in GIDS caseload and the fact that this caseload skews towards girls.