Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to develop a specialist NHS pathway for individuals who choose to detransition, and whether this pathway will be in place before the commencement of the NHS England puberty blocker trial.

The Government and NHS England are committed to implementing the recommendations of the Cass Review in full. This includes the recommendation for a pathway to be established for individuals who wish to detransition. The formative stages of this work will involve a process of evidence gathering in the spring of 2025, focused on individuals and clinicians with experience of detransition, and professional bodies. NHS England will engage stakeholders on a proposed service specification for the new pathway, including through public consultation.

The PATHWAYS study, which was also recommended by the Cass Review, has several elements, including a longitudinal observational study of children and young people attending NHS Gender Services, charting their development over time, and longitudinal qualitative interviews to explore the needs and care experiences of children, young people, and their families, and how these change over the course of time and the treatment.