LGBTQ+ organisations, including Mermaids and TransActual, urge Wes Streeting to reverse restrictions on trans healthcare

Ten organisations supporting LGBTQ+ children and young people have written to the health secretary, Wes Streeting, and NHS England calling for an urgent reversal of recent restrictions on gender-affirming healthcare for trans young people.

The letter, coordinated by TransActual and co-signed by nine other LGBTQ+ organisations, warns that recent policy decisions risk causing “serious long-term damage to a generation of trans youth” and urges ministers and NHS leaders to adopt a more “careful, compassionate, and supportive approach” to trans healthcare .

The signatories include Mermaids, Gendered Intelligence, The Proud Trust, Mosaic LGBT+ Young Persons’ Trust and IGLYO – the International LGBTQI Youth and Student Organisation, all of which work directly with trans and gender-diverse children and young people across the UK.

The intervention follows a series of significant changes to NHS policy. Earlier this year the Department of Health and Social Care paused the PATHWAYS puberty blockers trial. Shortly afterwards, NHS England halted new prescriptions of gender-affirming hormones for 16- and 17-year-olds and updated shared care guidance for GPs in a move that further restricts access to treatment .

In the letter, addressed to both Streeting and NHS England’s medical director for gender care, James Palmer, the organisations express alarm at the direction of travel.

“As organisations that work with and support trans young people, we are deeply concerned about the impact of your approach,” they write. 

While the groups say they support efforts to improve the evidence base for trans healthcare, they argue that the current restrictions go far beyond what is justified, particularly given that many treatments across paediatric medicine are prescribed off-label.

They warn that rolling back access to care carries clear risks for young people’s wellbeing, and say policymakers have failed to account for the documented mental health harms associated with denying or delaying treatment.

“We can work together to prevent further harm by taking a more careful, compassionate, and supportive approach,” the letter continues. “But the extreme lack of caution being shown by the Government and NHS England through its continued assault on the availability of gender-affirming care risks causing serious long-term damage to a generation of trans youth.” 

The organisations also call on the NHS to provide timely, holistic care for trans people of all ages based on informed consent, and to listen more closely to the experiences of trans young people themselves when shaping policy.

The full letter has been sent to the health secretary and NHS England and is available online via TransActual.