Post

The Levy Review: A scathing audit of NHS Trans+ healthcare that isn’t radical enough to fix the problems. @wearequeeraf.com and @whatthetrans.com take a first look at the long-awaited review into adult gender services in the UK 🧵 Reporting by @vic-parsons.bsky.social

1/ TLDR While the Levy Review correctly identifies some of the issues with Gender Dysphoria Clinics, its recommendations tinker around the edges – rather than solving them For our full analysis and commentary, get our detailed explainer in this weekend's newsletter www.wearequeeraf.com/subscribe/

2/ Dozens of issues at adult gender clinics Most NHS gender clinics have “exceptionally long waiting times” and all require “immediate improvement” to be fit for purpose, according to a review of adult trans+ healthcare services in England carried out by Dr David Levy.

It finds less than a third of discharged patients having completed their treatment, to a lack of data on patient outcomes and insufficient training for healthcare workers in the wider NHS around caring for Trans+ patients.

3/ What does it recommend? The key points are: - A national waiting list for adult gender clinics - Ending self-referral - Discharging patients waiting for surgeries back to GPs - Raising the referral age for adult clinics from 17 to 18 - Creating a national gender board chaired by Dr Levy.

4/ How was it put together? The review acknowledges that “hearing directly from transgender patients significantly enhanced our understanding of the services”. However, it does not go as far as a system of informed consent – a solution long advocated for by Trans+ experts.

5/ What do the experts say? “At its heart, it maintains and reinforces a system built on clinical control of and power over trans communities,” Dr Horton tells QueerAF. “There is no effort to improve accountability. No recognition of institutional transphobia. No recognition of clinical violence”