Dr. Hilary Dawn Cass is a British honorary physician in paediatric disability at the Evalina Hospital, part of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust , and former president of the Roya College of Paediatrics and Child Health. She is known for establishing the UK’s Rett Clinic for children wit Rett Syndrome in 1992, developing palliative care for children, and leading the Cass Review , completed in 2024.
What is the Cass Review?
The Cass Review is a big report about services for children and teenagers who have questions about their gender. It was published on the 10th of April. Also called the Independent Review of Gender Identity Services for Children and Young People, it was commissioned by NHS England and NHS Improvement in 2020. They wanted suggestions about NHS services for kids who are questioning their gender. This review came about because more and more young people were seeking for answers regarding their gender. Referrals to the recently-closed Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust went up a lot, from about 250 in 2011/12 to over 5,000 in 2021/22. Dr. Hilary Cass, led the review.
The findings
After a four-year wait, the report found that teenagers are “falling off a cliff edge” in their care when they reach 17. It said children have been let down by a lack of research and evidence on medical interventions in gender care, in a debate which it said has become exceptionally toxic. Among the 32 recommendations in the near-400 page report was that a “follow-through service” should be put in place for 17 to 25-year-olds, with regional centres either extending the age range of their patients or through “linked services”. As a result of the report, NHS adult gender services in England will undergo a major review, while local NHS leaders have been told to pause first appointment offers at adult gender clinics to young people before their 18th birthday.
Why has this sparked controversy?
In a joint statement, humans rights groups Amnesty International UK and Liberty said “sensationalised coverage” of the review has led to the issue being “weaponised” by anti-trans groups. They said: “All children have the right to access specialist effective care on time and must be afforded the privacy to make decisions that are appropriate for them in consultation with a specialist. “This review is being weaponised by people who revel in spreading disinformation and myths about healthcare for trans young people. “It’s concerning that sections of the media and many politicians continue to spread moral panic with no regard for the possible consequences for trans people and their families.”
Supporters wave in
Harry Potter author JK Rowling, welcomed the review, which said young people have been caught up in a “stormy social discourse” and gender care is currently an area of “remarkably weak evidence”. She wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Wednesday: “I read Cass this morning and my anger’s been mounting all day. Kids have been irreversibly harmed, and thousands are complicit, not just medics, but the celebrity mouthpieces, unquestioning media and cynical corporations.” She added the report was “not a triumph, it’s the laying bare of a tragedy”.
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