The NHS is closing its gender identity clinic for children at Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust.
The contract for the gender identity service at the trust will be terminated, the NHS said.
It said it intended to build a “more sustainable service” by expanding provision and would set up two services led by specialist children’s hospitals in London and North West England. The NHS has said it aims to have them fully up and running by spring 2023.
It follows the recommendations of Dr Hilary Cass, who led an independent review of gender identity services for children and young people.
She said there is a need to move away from the single provider model and instead create regional services to better meet patient needs.
Its interim report found that a rise in referrals to the Gender Identity Development Service (Gids) at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust in London had led to overstretched staff and waiting lists of up to two years.
Cass said this puts young people at “significant risk” of distress and poor mental health. The number of referrals to the service has grown from 138 in 2010-11 to 2,383 in 2020-21.
Last spring, in a highly critical report on Gids, the Care Quality Commission demanded monthly updates on waiting numbers and action to reduce them.
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