NI gender services to be reviewed by Cass

The author of the landmark Cass report into gender identity services for young people in England is to carry out a review of Northern Ireland's gender services.

Health Minister Mike Nesbitt said Dr Hilary Cass had agreed to his request, and is expected to visit Northern Ireland with a team in November.

In July, his department faced criticism from some unionist politicians after more than £800,000 was allocated to gender identity provision in Northern Ireland.

The Belfast Health Trust runs the Brackenburn Clinic, based in south Belfast, which has a service for adults experiencing gender dysphoria and a separate service for young people.

Baroness Cass' assessment will also consider plans to move to a "regional lifespan gender service" in Northern Ireland, which would amalgamate the current services into one model of care.

Nesbitt said he was "delighted" that the retired consultant paediatrician had agreed to his request.

What is the Cass Review and what did it say?

The Cass Review is an independent report into gender identity services for under-18s, commissioned by NHS England, which was published last year.

Led by Dr Cass, the document said children had been "let down" by the lack of reliable evidence on medicine for those questioning their gender.

The report also found there were "gaps in evidence" about the use of puberty blockers - drugs which delay or supress the physical changes of puberty - which eventually led to a UK-wide ban on the sale or supply of them.

Mike Nesbitt says an independent expert assessment may be helpful

Nesbitt said Northern Ireland had "rightly adopted" that recommendation in the Cass report, but he also pointed to other aspects of her work.

"In finding that most young people experiencing gender-related distress would not benefit from a medical pathway she instead called for a much stronger focus across the UK on psychological support, as well as a more holistic approach to care," he added.

"That is exactly what I want Northern Ireland to be delivering.

"Much of the previously approved £806,000 business case for the new Lifespan Gender Service is to invest in new and additional psychological and psychiatric support, as well as a greater multi-disciplinary approach.

"From my reading of the Cass Review that is exactly the direction of travel she has recommended."

The minister added that while he was content with the process being undertaken to revise services, after a number of questions had been raised he felt an independent expert assessment "may go some way to address these issues".

Last month, the Belfast Trust said there were currently 1,163 adults on the waiting list, as well as 45 children and young people on a separate waiting list.

'Nesbitt cannot hide behind another review'

LGBTQ+ charity The Rainbow Project has said it is "extremely concerned" at the health minister's appointment of Dr Hilary Cass.

In a statement, Chief Executive Scott Cuthbertson said Nesbitt "must deliver what he has promised" and that he "cannot hide behind another review" while transgender people and their families are "languishing on waiting lists, being failed by their healthcare services".

"We wholeheartedly support the delivery of evidence-based, research-led trans healthcare," he said.

"The Cass Review, however, led to the shuttering of services and the withdrawal of care for trans people across the UK, and supported a model which views transitioning as a negative outcome for patients," he added.

"Patient-centred and user-led services are the foundation for improving health outcomes; we believe a Cass-led review in Northern Ireland will struggle monumentally to have the trust and confidence of trans communities, and will indeed worsen an already broken system."