Scottish gender service for young people to stop accepting self-referrals

The Cass Review was published in April by paediatrician Dr Hilary Cass, and called for gender services for young people to match the standards of other NHS care.

The dossier provoked political debate over a number of its conclusions, with Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie – at that time a member of the Scottish government – saying he had difficulty accepting the report as a valid scientific document.

A multidisciplinary clinical team looked into the report, external for the Scottish government, and made a number of suggestions. As well as the self-referring recommendation, the team also said that puberty blockers should be formally halted and that work on a regional service for children should begin immediately.

Like other parts of the UK, in recent years Scotland has seen an increase in the number of young people questioning their identity or experiencing gender dysphoria.

The Sandyford is the only specialist service for under-18s in Scotland, with a freedom of information request from BBC Scotland News previously revealing that at the end of 2023, there were 1,100 patients on the waiting list for the centre.