Written question asked by Baroness Maclean of Redditch (Conservative) on Thursday, 9 July 2026, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 23 July 2026. It was answered by Baroness Merron (Labour) on Friday, 17 July 2026 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

Gender Dysphoria: Health Services

Question: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to revise the guidance in the NHS service specification on gender identity services for adults that psychological interventions "will not be offered routinely or considered mandatory" in the light of the findings of the Cass Review, published in April 2024, and the Operational and delivery review of NHS adult gender dysphoria clinics in England, published in December 2025, that patients may have complex needs and co-occurring conditions.

Answer: NHS England plans to publish new service specifications for adult gender services, for the purpose of public consultation, later this year. As part of its work to build new service specifications, Dr David Levy, who chaired the Operational and Delivery Review of Adult Gender Services, is overseeing work to define 'clinical complexity' in the context of the adult gender pathway, and for the new service specification to describe the clinical approach for responding to complexity.

Secondary information