NHS closed Tavistock over trans care concerns – there were just eight complaints

England’s former sole youth gender clinic, the Tavistock and Portman Centre, received just eight complaints on its provision of gender-affirming care in the 10 years leading up to its closure, new data has revealed.

The North London NHS hospital’s Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) closed its doors in 2024 over criticism in an interim report by Dr Hilary Cass.

Formerly the only gender clinic in England providing healthcare for trans youngsters, Tavistock faced incredible pressure in the lead-up to its closure over claims that hundreds of patients filed formal complaints regarding its “unsafe” model of care.

Numerous accusations from critical media outlets claimed the clinic was a “transing factory” that ignored “holistic” approaches to care and was recklessly prescribing puberty suppressant hormones, known as puberty blockers, to children.

One article from The Times, published in 2022, claimed that at least 1,000 families were planning mass legal action against the Tavistock gender clinic for rushing youngsters into taking puberty blockers.

However, a freedom of information (FOI) request to the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust, shared by Yorkshire Bylines, revealed that, between 2012 and 2022, only eight complaints over healthcare provisions had been lodged.

Shared by journalists Marie Shrewsbury and Daira-Emma Hopwood, the Trust found 142 complaints into numerous issues during the 10-year period. It did not specify whether patients or their families had made the complaints.

Less than half a per cent of Tavistock service users complained over clinic practices

Complaints that specifically cited problems with the way treatment had been provided constituted around five per cent of all complaints made in that time. They represented 0.06 per cent of the 12,000 service users the clinic was believed to have been treating on average.

The journalists noted that the majority of the eight complaints filed were over fears that ongoing treatment for patients could be suddenly rescinded.

One of those complaints cited frustrations that patients were unable to begin puberty blockers at a certain age, while another raised concerns on whether the High Court’s ruling on Bell v Tavistock would affect patients’ access to “hormone blockers”.

The Trust was also asked to divulge any legal complaints or lawsuits filed by law firm Pogust Goodhead – the legal organisation which claimed it was pursuing medical negligence claims against GIDS. It confirmed that none were filed.

Despite this, the law firm’s website still claims it is “representing families affected by clinical negligence, including those impacted by the widely published failing of paediatric audiology services throughout the United Kingdom and Tavistock Gender Identity Service”.

Following its closure, Tavistock was replaced by a set of regional hubs across England and Wales that would focus on providing “holistic care” as per Dr Cass’ recommendations.

Whistleblowers who worked at the now-closed gender clinic claimed in February last year that the handover between Tavistock and the new hubs was “shoddy, disorganised [and] messy”.

Speaking to What The Trans!? at the time, the anonymous clinicians said staff were only told about GIDS closing after the NHS had made the announcement to the public.

The closure date and subsequent restructure was postponed multiple times between 2022 and 2024, eventually taking more than two years to complete.

A tragic report from Good Law Project published this week revealed that 46 trans children died by suicide between 2019 and 2025, with 22 dying in 2021-22.

Suicide is preventable. Readers who are affected by the issues raised in this story are encouraged to contact the Samaritans on 116 123 (www.samaritans.org), or Mind on 0300 123 3393 (www.mind.org.uk). Readers in the US are encouraged to contact the National Suicide Prevention Line on 1-800-273-8255.