The Gender Plus Hormone Clinic, a private clinic that aims to offer solutions for gender-confused young people experiencing psychological counseling for a fee of up to ÂŁ275 for a one-hour session, has become the first clinic in the UK to be registered with England’s health care watchdog, the Care Quality Commission. Following a series of scandals and a damning report about the NHS Tavistock Center, the new clinic has gained spotlight amid claims that it is operating in a manner similar to the Tavistock Center.
Concerns were raised about the clinic’s operations last June when it was revealed that the counseling services were being carried out without CQC registration by organizations such as Genspect. Seven members of the clinic’s staff, which accounts for about half of the team, were previously employed at Tavistock. The clinic can be booked through its website without an NHS referral.
The CQC not only determined that the Gender Plus Hormone Clinic should be registered, but also established that all new services by all clinics would be subject to inspection to ensure they are “safe, effective, caring, responsive, and well led.” The concerns about hormone treatment for young people that led to the reported shutting down of the NHS Tavistock Center led to a chain of events that culminated in a questionnaire by NHS England regarding proposals to restrict referral routes to children’s gender identity services, such as assessments by secondary pediatric services or Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services.
The increasing numbers of young girls seeking help for gender confusion have led to significant changes in the sex of children questioning their gender, with the case of a young person named Keira Bell serving as a prominent example of the profound and lasting impacts of gender-affirming medical decisions taken by health professionals on the life and well-being of patients. Although the CQC had previously attempted to establish whether Gender Plus required registration, the clinic had not been providing regulated activities at the time, hence taking no immediate action. All of the clinic’s operations will now be subject to monitoring and ongoing inspection.