Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to ensuring all children under the age of 18 who have been referred to the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust’s Gender Identity Development Service in respect of possible gender dysphoria or reassignment participate in an independent long-term study to improve the understanding of such conditions, possible courses of treatment and support for such children.

The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust has been awarded a research grant by the National Institute for Health Research to fund a LOGIC study (Longitudinal Outcomes of Gender Identity in Children) that will follow up children and young people aged 13 years and under referred to the Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS). This will look at outcomes with regard to young people’s physical health, quality of life and psychological wellbeing. The United Kingdom GIDS is the largest such service in the world and this combined with the increase in referrals in recent years means that it is uniquely positioned to undertake research of this kind.

The research will importantly investigate outcomes over time, whether children and young people and their families remain in contact with NHS services or not. This thereby investigates outcomes for the entire cohort, encompassing those in receipt of physical (hormone/endocrine) treatments and those not receiving such interventions. The findings generated from this research will help address important gaps in the evidence, enabling services to provide better and more individualized care, benefiting patients and their families.