Queensland has paused puberty blocker and hormone prescriptions for minors after a review found a Cairns gender clinic was not following guidelines in giving them to kids as young as 12.
Health Minister Tim Nicholls said on Tuesday that stage one and two hormone “therapies” would be immediately halted to new patients aged under 18 at Queensland Health facilities, although existing patients will be exempt.
Stage one refers to puberty blockers, while stage two refers to hormones given to children under the age of 18 who are diagnosed with gender dysphoria.
“The Cairns Sexual Health Service delivered an apparently unauthorised paediatric gender service without an agreed model of care to 42 paediatric gender service clients, 17 of whom were prescribed stage one or stage two hormone therapy in a way that may not align with treatment guidelines,” he told The Courier Mail.
“A recent internal review undertaken of the CSHS identified deficiencies relating to credentialling and scope of practice and medicolegal concerns relating to patient and parental consent.
A review of the clinic last year found that there was a lack of patient and parental consent, and that patients were being given so-called treatments that did not adhere to national standards.
It came after a whistleblower filed a public interest disclosure over a 12-year-old who was given puberty blockers without the consultations with specialist doctors that were required.
Puberty blockers have irreversible effects and can lead to sterilisation, and have been banned by the National Health Service in England.
A comprehensive UK report released last year called the Cass Review warned against the use of puberty blockers for people under 18, resulting in the NHS changing its policies.
“We have concluded that there is not enough evidence to support the safety or clinical effectiveness of [puberty blockers] to make the treatment routinely available at this time,” NHS England wrote.
“NHS England recommends that access to [puberty blockers] for children and young people with gender incongruence/dysphoria should only be available as part of research.”
But earlier this month a Family Court judge ruled that a teenager could continue being given testosterone despite the opposition of one parent, and in August last year a Victorian court ruled that a 12-year-old boy could go on puberty blockers without the consent of his father.
Mr Nicholls said on Tuesday there would be an independent inquiry into the Cairns clinic.
Header image: Cairns Sexual Health Service (Google Maps).
