NHS England "stops" puberty blockers + UK economy returns to growth (news style)

[C C]

It's perhaps too recent an announcement for the outrage to be highly visible yet. First trickle: "Trans youth charity Mermaids said the announcement is 'deeply disappointing' and represented a 'further restriction of support offered to trans children and young people through the NHS, which is failing trans youth'."
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NHS to stop prescribing puberty blockers for children in England
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/what-...45043.html

RELEASE: NHS England has confirmed that puberty blockers would no longer be regularly supplied to children at gender identity clinics. The change has come a few weeks before the publication of an impartial assessment of gender identity services in England.

The NHS currently prescribes puberty blockers to less than 100 young kids in England. All of them will be able to carry on with their treatment.

But what are puberty blockers and why is the NHS stopping prescriptions? Puberty blockers are used to postpone puberty in children.

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists, which inhibit the synthesis of sex hormones like oestrogen and testosterone, are the most widely used puberty blockers.

Children who are unsure of their gender are frequently administered them to stop physical changes like the growth of breasts or facial hair.

Why is the NHS stopping prescriptions? Following a review, it was determined that there was "not enough evidence" to support their safety or effectiveness.

Dr Hilary Cass's interim review report, which was released in 2022, had earlier concluded that there were "gaps in evidence" about the medications and advocated for a change in the care strategy for kids experiencing gender-related discomfort. Dr Cass's study comes after a dramatic spike in referrals to the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust's Gender Identity Development Service (Gids), which went from receiving 250 referrals year to over 5,000 in 2022.

Maria Caulfield, the Health Minister has said: "We have always been clear that children's safety and wellbeing is paramount, so we welcome this landmark decision by the NHS.

"Ending the routine prescription of puberty blockers will help ensure that care is based on evidence, expert clinical opinion and is in the best interests of the child".

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UK economy returns to growth after GDP rose 0.2% in January - raising hopes country is on its way out of recession
https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/uk-economy-gr...recession/

INTRO: The UK's economy grew slightly in January with GDP increasing by 0.2%, official figures show, raising hopes the country could be on its way out of a recession.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show the UK economy grew in January by 0.2% after the country slipped into a shallow recession in the final quarter of 2023.

A strong month for retail sales helped drive growth in January, as well as improved activity for house-builders following a downturn in the housing market. This is contrasted by a fall in the TV and film industry, pharmaceutical industry and legal services.

In the three months to January, however, GDP fell 0.1%. It comes after the UK economy shrank 0.3% between October and December last year, officially falling into a technical recession... (MORE - details)

[Syne]

So how long did they prescribe puberty blockers to children before they suddenly found there was "not enough evidence" of their safety and effectiveness?
Ethical medicine would have waited for enough evidence before even starting to prescribe drugs.

[C C]

So how long did they prescribe puberty blockers to children before they suddenly found there was "not enough evidence" of their safety and effectiveness?
Ethical medicine would have waited for enough evidence before even starting to prescribe drugs.

Who knows. The Gender Identity Development Service itself of NHS has been around for 35 years. Puberty blockers were approved for use in the US in 1993, though that included treating problems unrelated to transgender issues.

This is a sharp turnaround in terms of recent times, since medical science or establishment (when not impeded by local government) has usually set aside safety concerns to accommodate and place on the fast-track whatever social justice morality wanted (along with the profit).

So the change may have actually been motivated by fear of future litigation from patients. Concerns about the latter started at least 4 years ago when the language became more cautionary:

On 30 June 2020, the British National Health Service changed the information it displayed on its website regarding the reversibility of the effects of puberty blockers and their use in the treatment of minors with gender dysphoria. Specifically, the NHS removed language stating that puberty blockers were "fully reversible" and that "treatment can usually be stopped at any time". In its place, the NHS stated that "little is known about the long-term side effects of hormone or puberty blockers in children with gender dysphoria.". ... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puberty_bl...ed_Kingdom

[Syne]

If the UK is anything like the US, it's difficult to sue the government... considering there is no "private practice" in the NHS.

I'd be more apt to think the popular opinion tide is turning, and they're just more concerned about the social backlash.

I take that back. Apparently you can sue the NHS for malpractice:

Each year the NHS pays out billions in compensation. In 2020 - 2021 the NHS spent £2.2 billion on clinical negligence claims against the NHS.
- https://www.wrighthassall.co.uk/expertise/suing-nhs