TENI (Transgender Equality Network Ireland) have released a statement sharing that the HSE is ending child and adolescent care for young trans people, and furthermore, that Irish patients will be re-referred to a ‘new service’ that does not exist.

In the statement, TENI explained, “The gender-identity adolescent service that was situated in Crumlin Children’s Hospital is not receiving further referrals, either from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), or the Gender Identity Development Service UK (GIDS/UK/Tavistock). We believe this very concerning situation has transpired due mainly to the failure of the HSE, to develop and implement a proper Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) to support the provision of care for young trans people in Ireland.

“This MDT was highlighted as a key requirement in extending proper child and adolescent care to trans children in a recently published HSE report in December 2020.”

https://twitter.com/BeLonG_To/status/1359946598718013440?s=20

The statement continued, “Previously the service provided in Crumlin Children’s Hospital relied on GIDS/UK to provide psychological assessments, which were funded by the Treatment Abroad Scheme (TAS). TENI have been reliably informed that this service is due also to cease, and that the Irish patients that have been referred to them will be re-referred back to the Irish ‘new-service’, which does not currently exist.

“This would mean that young-people and their families that have already suffered a two year wait to be seen by GIDS/UK, will potentially be waiting in limbo for a service that does not exist. This waitlist will impact between 70 to 100 families that have now been dropped by the failure of the HSE to implement a supportive and functioning gender identity service within the HSE child and adolescent care service.”

This is an appalling dereliction of the duty of care to trans youth. In Ireland, there is literally no public health provision for trans children at all ? https://t.co/PZ1m6wVyB4

— GenderGP (@GenderGP) February 12, 2021

This news comes despite the fact that Christmas Eve, 2020 saw the release of the long-delayed Trans Healthcare report, which had further been “misplaced” after being submitted by its Steering Committee in early 2020. Committee member, Noah Halpin had shared in November, “It is extremely regrettable that despite a three year-long waiting list for transgender healthcare services in Ireland and an 11-month delay in the publication of this report, it was left to the trans community to investigate the location and status of this Government established committee report.”

And THIS is why pushing so hard for the publication of the National Transgender Healthcare Steering Committee was so important. https://t.co/wxPx2lA73H

— Noah Halpin (@Noah_Halpin) February 11, 2021

The statement from TENI continued, “With the ceasing of the Crumlin Children’s Hospital Child and Adolescent Care program, transgender young people and their families are left with no Irish support, and no path forward…

“TENI call on Minister Donelly to make a statement to clarify how the Dept of Health plans to ensure these young people and their families can immediately access the care they need. This sub-standard approach to developing transgender healthcare in untenable, and the HSE must do more, and work to immediately rectify this situation by taking action on the strategies and goals already published to ensure healthcare is available to all Irish people and their families.”