1 month ago
She's undeniably 1 of nan astir influential paediatricians of her procreation and, possibly astir importantly, is nary alien to raising nan siren astir diligent information concerns.
So it's nary wonderment that Dr Hilary Cass was tasked pinch overhauling attraction for gender-questioning children successful nan UK.
Appointed by NHS bosses successful nan aftermath of nan Tavistock scandal, Dr Cass has sorted truth from fabrication successful a statement which has go exceptionally toxic.
Her damning reappraisal of gender personality services for young group spans astir 400 pages and has been adjacent to 4 years successful nan making.
Dr Hilary Cass’s last study connected NHS attraction for gender questioning children has now been published
It says children person been fto down by a deficiency of investigation and grounds connected aesculapian interventions, specifically puberty blockers and hormone drugs.
Guidelines themselves aren't evidence-based, she ruled.
As Dr Cass herself bluntly puts it, nan entirety of gender medicine is 'built connected shaky foundations'.
Dr Cass, successful her 60s, is nary alien successful raising concerns to those successful power.
In 2013 it was revealed she left Great Ormond Street Hospital after raising concerns astir diligent safety.
She warned bosses that inadequate staffing, mediocre morale and a deficiency of co-operation betwixt departments was putting patients astatine risk.
After emailing managers an relationship of her concerns, GOSH utilized a confidentiality statement to settee a long-running conflict pinch her which saw her demoted and led to her departure.
It sparked a nationalist speech astir nan usage of alleged 'gagging clauses' successful nan NHS.
Dr Cass, who went to a prestigious London backstage schoolhouse for girls earlier studying medicine astatine nan University of London, herself is simply a recognised leader successful nan section of aesculapian attraction for children, having served arsenic president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health from 2012-2015.
On apical of that, she was chair of nan British Academy of Childhood Disability betwixt 2017 and 2020.
While nary longer moving clinically, she remains an honorary advisor paediatrician astatine Evelina London Children’s Hospital — portion of Guy’s & St Thomas’s NHS Foundation Trust.
While astatine Evelina she worked connected nan improvement of paediatric palliative attraction services for highly sick children and their families.
Dr Cass, who has antecedently described her perfect blameworthy pleasance arsenic eating a Snickers while watching an section of The Thick Of It, is respected fig successful nan revenge of paediatrics
Dr Cass, who has antecedently described her perfect blameworthy pleasance arsenic eating a Snickers while watching an section of The Thick Of It, has besides published aggregate articles of nan attraction of children with neurodisability.
Previous activity of hers involves children pinch autism, cognitive and ocular impairment arsenic good arsenic those pinch multiple disabilities.
The attraction of children is intelligibly a taxable adjacent Dr Cass's heart, arsenic moreover aft stopping objective believe she has worked pinch charities dedicated to helping youngsters pinch analyzable aesculapian conditions.
These see being an ex-chair of nan children's palliative attraction kindness Together for Short Lives and a trustee for nan Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice.
Dr Cass, an avid instrumentality of nan theatre, has been recognised aggregate times for her work, including receiving an OBE for her services to kid wellness successful 2015.
She has besides been granted honorary fellowships by nan Royal College of Nursing and Royal College of General Practitioners
Dr Cass has shape for wading into arguable aesculapian topics, antecedently speaking successful 2013 connected her support for expert assisted suicide, different known arsenic aesculapian euthanasia.
When she retires, she plans a 'gap twelvemonth for grown ups', according to an question and reply she did pinch nan British Medical Journal in 2013.
In that aforesaid piece, she said of her emotion of 'crispy duck from nan section Chinese takeaway'.
Her parents 'always thought that I was argumentative and perverse capable to beryllium a lawyer', Dr Cass besides said.
