Doctors who prescribe puberty blockers to children could be struck off, says Health Secretary

“Ideological” doctors treating those seeking to change gender will face a crackdown from watchdogs, the Health Secretary has said.

Victoria Atkins met with the General Medical Council over the weekend as part of efforts to ensure that medics who attempt to break rules banning prescription of puberty blockers face the most stringent action – including being struck off.

Ms Atkins told the Commons that “nothing is off the table” to ensure that “clinicians who subscribe to gender ideology” cannot “get around the rules”.

This could include legislation to prevent private clinics and online services registered abroad being able to prescribe gender-blockers, she said.

Ms Atkins said she would work with health chiefs to “root out the ideology that has caused so much unnecessary harm, to support those who have already received life-altering treatment, to give the next generation access to holistic care and to protect our children’s futures”.

She said it was “morally and medically reprehensible” that some online providers not registered in the UK had stated their intention to continue prescribing to children.

“I am looking closely at closing, what can be done to curtail any loopholes and prescribing practices, including legislative options, nothing is off the table, and I will update the House in due course,” she said.

Ms Atkins said prescribing was a “highly regulated activity” with no gender clinics licensed to prescribe hormone blockers or cross-sex hormones to people under the age of 16.

“Any clinic that does may be committing extremely serious regulatory offences for which they can have their licence revoked, and their clinicians can be struck off,” she said.

Officials have been in contact with regulator the Care Quality Commission to ask them to look closely at age thresholds in making licensing decisions.

Last week the landmark report by Dr Hilary Cass called for “extreme caution” over the prescribing of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for those aged 16 to 18, warning there was “no good evidence” to support their use.

Routine prescribing by the NHS has now been stopped for this group, having recently been banned by NHS England for under 16s.

The Health Secretary said the Cass review – a report into gender identity services for children and young people - “strikes hard and strikes sure at an area of public policy where fashionable cultural values have overtaken evidence, safety, and biological reality”.

She told the Commons: “This must now stop.”

In 2009, gender identity clinics received fewer than 60 referrals.

By 2022, more than 5,000 children and young people were referred to gender identity clinics, and almost three-quarters were female.

‘An alarming picture’

Ms Atkins said Dr Cass had painted “an alarming picture of digitally engaged young women who are frequently exposed to pornography, involving violence, coercive, degrading and pain-inducing acts”.

“Is it any wonder that more and more of them are looking for ways to opt out of becoming women?” the MP asked.

She also challenged Wes Streeting for his historic remarks on trans issues, following his statement in the Commons.

Mr Streeting said last week that he had been wrong to say in the past that “trans women are women, get over it”.

During the Commons debate Ms Atkins said: “I welcome all of those who have changed their minds about this critical issue because in order to move forward and get on with the vital work that Dr Cass recommends, we need more people to face up to the truth, no matter how uncomfortable that makes them feel.”

“And so I say to the honourable gentleman opposite me, I hope he has the humility to understand that the ideology he and his colleagues espoused was part of the problem.”