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7 months ago
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Replacement clinics for the NHS's controversial gender identity unit are 'nowhere near ready' to begin treating patients, it was claimed yesterday.
Hubs in London's Great Ormond Street and Liverpool's Alder Hey are due to carry out appointments this week, following the closure of the Gender Identity Development Service (Gids) at the Tavistock and Portman Trust.
But whistleblowers – said to be senior staff at Gids – claimed the hubs' opening has been shambolic.
A source told the i newspaper: 'It's been shoddy, disorganised...At times, it's felt unsafe.'
Replacement clinics for the NHS's controversial gender identity unit in London's Great Ormond Street and Liverpool's Alder Hey are due to carry out appointments this week
The Tavistock clinic in London was ordered to close following a review by Dr Hilary Cass, which said it was 'not a safe or viable long-term option'
Sources claimed the hubs were 'not fully staffed', claiming there were just 17 or 18 clinical staff across both clinics, most with no experience with transgender children
The Tavistock clinic in London was ordered to close following a review by Dr Hilary Cass, which said it was 'not a safe or viable long-term option'.
Around 250 patients from Gids will have their care taken over by the hubs, with around 5,000 on a waiting list.
But sources claimed the hubs were 'not fully staffed', claiming there were just 17 or 18 clinical staff across both clinics, most with no experience with transgender children. One source said it was 'colossal mismanagement by NHS England'.
An NHS spokesman said: 'Our focus is on ensuring continuity of care as we establish the new service.' Last night, sources also claimed staffing levels were 'sufficient' to provide a safe service.
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