The LGBT Foundation welcomes the publication of the interim report from the Cass Review yesterday. It clearly recognises that under the current model, trans, non-binary, and gender diverse young people across the UK face unacceptable delays in accessing health care and that these barriers must be addressed at a system-wide level through improvements and investment across the health service. We are particularly glad to see the recommendation for care to be expanded through a regional model, to ensure that young people have consistent access to high-quality care no matter where they live across the country.

In addition to the report's recommendations, we feel it is important that Dr Cass has directly addressed the concerns of the young people who will be most affected by the Review's findings. We are pleased to see the needs and experiences of service users placed rightly at the forefront of the report, and that opportunities for young people to share their views will continue through the next stages of the Review. We are particularly pleased to see Dr Cass unequivocally state that trans, non-binary and gender diverse young people deserve the same standard of care as everyone else.

We are encouraged by the overall direction of the Cass Review, and as an organisation look forward to engaging with it in further detail moving forward. This interim report is an important contribution to an ongoing community concern, and we hope that we are all able to use it as a springboard for further conversation that continues to centre the needs of trans, non-binary and gender diverse young people.

"All children and young people deserve access to holistic healthcare appropriate for their needs. Therefore, the review of gender identity services for children and young people in the UK is highly welcomed and supported. We should listen to the voices of service users and their families, especially those who so often struggle to be heard. Regardless of whether children and young people, their families, and medical professionals decide together that certain social or medical transitions are appropriate for them, the support offered for them should be timely and respond to the full range of needs that the child or young person presents with.

Commenting on the Review’s publication, the Foundation’s Trans Programme Coordinator Zane Robinson-Waitt said: “The report is an excellent example of co-production, in its inclusion of a wide range of experiences with GIDS – from children and young people questioning their gender identity to people who de-transitioned, from parents and families to clinicians and medical professionals. Regardless of the experience, the report highlights that the larger conclusions of all of these communities are the same: services for children, young people, and their families needs to be timely, accessible, and more informed of the wide range of experiences and needs.

“We’re particularly glad that Dr Hilary Cass was aware of the anxiety that some stakeholders were experiencing in waiting for this report and appropriately addressed them from the start. Hopefully, they feel that they were heard and represented.

“We look forward to continued improvement of services for children and young people, with their voices central every step of the way."