“Catastrophic Harm”: FOI Exposes NHS Youth Gender Service Failures with 6-Year Waiting List and Minimal Care for Trans Youth
The details revealed in a recent Freedom of Information (FOI) request about the Children and Young People’s Gender Service (CYPGS) paint a bleak and deeply concerning picture of trans youth healthcare in the UK.
The FOI to NHS England confirms that there are over 5,600 young people currently on the waiting list and an average of 10 new referrals being added each month. However, between April and July of this year, the CYPGS managed to see just eight new patients.
These figures show that the system is catastrophically overwhelmed—and it’s only getting worse.
Here, we explain what this means for trans youth, their families, and call for an urgent review of the current NHS CYPGS system.
A Waiting List That Spans Almost Six Years
The FOI revealed that if a young person were to join the waiting list today, they would face a staggering 308-week wait before being seen. That’s nearly six years—a timeline that completely disregards the urgency of gender-affirming care and makes timely access to puberty blockers an impossibility.
This delay isn’t just inconvenient; it’s life-altering. Research consistently highlights the severe mental health impacts of prolonged waiting times for trans youth, including increased rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. Yet, the current system is setting these young people up for harm by failing to provide timely care.
The Clock Runs Out at 17 Years and 9 Months
Another alarming revelation from the FOI is the new policy of removing 17-year-olds from the CYPGS waiting list once they reach 17 years and 9 months. At this point, they are expected to restart the referral process with adult services. There’s no indication that the time already spent on the waiting list is accounted for, nor is there clarity on what kind of notification these young people or their families receive about this abrupt transition.
It also overlooks whether GPs would be willing to re-refer a young person to a gender clinic, given the growing pressure on medical professionals from anti-trans lobby groups aimed at discouraging gender-affirming care.
For many, this could mean waiting many more years for an appointment with the, already overburdened, adult services. By delaying care well into their 20s, the NHS is severely failing a whole generation of trans youth and young adults.
Staffing Shortages and Catastrophic Consequences
The FOI also highlights that CYPGS is operating at only 75% staffing capacity, with significant struggles to recruit and retain healthcare professionals. In their own public statements, CYPGS acknowledges the “potential for catastrophic harm” for patients left languishing on the waiting list.
There is also no indication about the quality of care provided by the staff members already recruited. Initial anecdotal feedback from families who have managed to secure an appointment, report that CYPGS clinicians are reporting families to Social Services for accessing gender-affirming clinical care privately.
These are not just abstract risks. The lack of accessible, timely gender-affirming care creates real harm, driving many young people to shun general medical care for fear of reprisals, hide their gender-affirming medical care from clinicians, and develop worsening mental health conditions.
A System That’s Failing Our Trans Youth
The numbers don’t just reflect a failing system; they reveal a crisis. Trans youth and their families are being let down by a service that was supposed to provide care and support. The minimal number of new patients seen, combined with the near-six-year waiting times, staffing shortages, policies that force young people to restart their healthcare journeys, and families fearful of disclosing their child’s treatments, all point to a healthcare system in crisis and in desperate need of reform.
What Needs to Change?
Immediate Investment in CYPGS: Increased funding to expand capacity and hire more knowledgeable gender-affirming staff is critical to reducing waiting times and providing a functional service..
Reform of Transition Policies: The current approach of removing 17-year-olds from the waiting list must be replaced with a streamlined process that ensures continuity of care as young people transition to adult services.
Transparency and Accountability: Families of trans youth deserve clear, regular updates on how CYPGS plans to address recruitment issues to ensure that the service is supportive and prevents further harm to young trans people.
Trans Youth Deserve Better
The figures exposed by this FOI are more than just statistics—they represent thousands of young trans people in desperate need of care, stuck in a system that has failed them.
At Anne Health, we are committed to being part of the solution, providing immediate, practical support for those navigating this broken system. However, we’re aware that systemic change takes time, so we are stepping in to fill the gaps. Our mission is to provide accessible, affirming care for trans individuals of all ages—and to advocate for a better future.
Trans youth deserve better. It’s time for policymakers and healthcare providers to listen and act to ensure that no young person has to wait years to access the care they need and deserve.
If you are the parent or carer of someone under 18 seeking timely gender-affirming healthcare, find out more about how Anne Health can support your young person with our Youth Membership Plan.