Doctors’ union drops opposition to Cass review of NHS gender healthcare

The trade union representing doctors across the UK has dropped its opposition to the findings of the Cass review of gender identity services across the NHS . The British Medical Association (BMA) had previously rejected the findings of the landmark review of transgender healthcare, with the medical body refusing to endorse the report’s findings. The review, published in April 2024 and conducted by Dr Hilary Cass, found children and young people had been let down by a lack of research and evidence on medical interventions, and NHS gender medicine was “built on shaky foundations”. The BMA’s council voted to oppose the implementation of the review, saying its findings were “unsubstantiated”. On Wednesday, the body published a long-awaited review of Cass’s findings, conducted by 12 union members. Prof David Strain, the chair of the BMA’s board of science, who led the review, said the Cass report’s methodology was robust and the BMA was no longer opposed to any of its 32 recommendations. “A strength of this work has been the ability of clinicians with differing perspectives to engage constructively to ensure the concerns of the profession and those with lived experience were explored,” said Strain. …