Improving gender identity healthcare

Implications of the Cass Review for Scotland

A multi-disciplinary team established to consider how the recommendations in the Cass Review might apply to NHS services in Scotland has submitted its findings to the Scottish Parliament.

A senior clinical team, commissioned by the Chief Medical Officer for Scotland, considered all 32 recommendations of the Cass Review into Gender Identity Services for Children and Young People in NHS England.

The team assessed to what extent they were applicable in the Scottish context, and whether they could be implemented in Scotland’s health service.

Recommendations of the multi-disciplinary team included:

  • a lead senior clinician, preferably a consultant, should take overall responsibility for each young person’s care
  • each care plan should include a full assessment of the child’s needs, both psychological and physical 
  • as elsewhere in the UK, the use of puberty-supressing hormones – commonly referred to as puberty blockers – should be paused until further clinical trials can be undertaken. NHS Scotland will continue to engage in the forthcoming UK study
  • work to design a regional service for children and young people should begin immediately, and services should ultimately be provided as locally as possible, based in children’s health services, with strong links between secondary and specialist services.

The conclusions of the report will now be considered by the Scottish Government – both in relation to how current services should be delivered to ensure service continuity, as well as on how these services should be commissioned in the future to ensure sustainable person-centred care.  

Deputy Chief Medical Officer Professor Graham Ellis said: “The Cass Review was established to make recommendations on how to improve NHS England gender identity services for children and young people. Through this review we have aimed to set out which recommendations could apply to Scotland, and how they might be implemented.

“At the heart of this question are children and young people in distress, and our ambition must remain focused on meeting their needs with holistic, person-centred care as close to home as practical.

“The Cass Review identified the need to ensure that gender identity services for young people are more closely aligned with other areas of clinical practice, and that responsibility for the full range of services required should extend beyond specialist services. This will be essential as we seek to always provide the best possible care.

“In responding to the Cass Review, the multi-disciplinary team looked at the recommendations from a clinical perspective, always remembering that we have a responsibility to make sure that all children and young people grow up safe, respected and supported.”

Health Secretary Neil Gray said: “The Scottish Government welcomes the multi-disciplinary team’s report, which has carefully considered the Cass Review’s recommendations and how they apply to Scotland.

“The conclusions of the report will now be considered and used to improve gender identity healthcare for children and young people. The Scottish Government will update Parliament after summer recess. 

“We remain absolutely committed, not just to ensuring ongoing support is available, but to reforming and improving gender identity healthcare across Scotland.”

Cass Review – Implications for Scotland – letter from Chief Medical Officer Professor Sir Gregor Smith to Convener of the Health, Social Care & Sport Committee.

Cass Review – Implications for Scotland report

Ian Murray ‘determined to reset the relationship between the UK and Scottish Governments’

‘My absolute priority in the role will be to deliver the change and renewal that Scotland needs‘

Secretary of State for Scotland Ian Murray said: “It is a real privilege to have been asked to serve in Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s first Cabinet as Secretary of State for Scotland.  My absolute priority in the role will be to deliver the change and renewal that Scotland needs – to drive economic growth, create jobs and reduce poverty.

“As we rebuild our country, I look forward to Scotland standing foursquare with the other UK nations. I will make sure that the Scotland Office is a strong voice for Scotland within the UK Government. 

“New funding will help tackle poverty in Scotland by creating jobs and unlocking opportunities across the country, especially in our most deprived communities.

“The Scotland Office will lead on promoting ‘Brand Scotland’ around the globe. Selling our world class produce, products and services to the world. 

“I am also determined to reset the relationship between the UK and Scottish Governments. Focusing on co-operation and joint working will mean we can deliver better results for people in Scotland.”

A royal reception for Edinburgh 900

The King and Queen attended a celebration of Edinburgh 900 this week at Edinburgh Castle.

Edinburgh 900 explores and celebrates the nine centuries of history and traditions in Scotland’s capital city, since the founding of the Royal Burgh by King David I around 1124.

The King and Queen were greeted by a colourful and dynamic display of the very best of Edinburgh, featuring performances from Dance Base, Scotland’s National Centre for Dance, music from a local accordion player, and Bhangra dancers.

There was also an array of local and national civic and community organisations represented including the Edinburgh Local Heritage Network, The Hub, Herbie of Edinburgh, Historic Environment Scotland, Barnardo’s and The Prince’s Trust.

The renowned author Alexander McCall Smith performed a short poem written for Edinburgh’s 900th birthday, his adopted home.

The Lord Provost Robert Aldridge then delivered a specially produced loyal address to The King and Queen. 

Concluding the celebrations, The King and Queen were invited to cut an Edinburgh 900 themed cake baked by 2020 Great British Bake Off winner and Edinburgh-born, Peter Sawkins.

The Lord Provost Robert Aldridge said: “It was wonderful to welcome Their Majesties to Edinburgh to celebrate 900 years of Scotland’s capital city. The interest shown by The King and Queen highlights the importance of 900 years of our shared history and showcased local organisations exhibiting the very best of Edinburgh in the modern day which we’re rightly proud of.  

“I’m really looking forward to seeing how Edinburgh 900 develops in the months ahead. The full programme will delve into how Edinburgh came to be over the centuries. The programme will also celebrate Edinburgh in the present day and look ahead to our future ambitions and aspirations.”

An official programme launch will take place at the end of July. This will announce the full list of recipients of the Edinburgh 900 Community and Civic Funds.

Streeting: The NHS is broken

Secretary of State for Health and Social Care delivers a statement setting out his mission for saving the NHS

When we said during the election campaign, that the NHS was going through the biggest crisis in its history, we meant it.

When we said that patients are being failed on a daily basis, it wasn’t political rhetoric, but the daily reality faced by millions.

Previous governments have not been willing to admit these simple facts. But in order to cure an illness, you must first diagnose it.

This government will be honest about the challenges facing our country, and serious about tackling them.

From today, the policy of this department is that the NHS is broken.

That is the experience of patients who are not receiving the care they deserve, and of the staff working in the NHS who can see that – despite giving their best – this is not good enough.

When I was diagnosed with kidney cancer, the NHS saved my life.

Today, I can begin to repay that debt, by saving our NHS.

I have just spoken over the phone with the BMA junior doctors committee, and I can announce that talks to end their industrial action will begin next week.

We promised during the campaign that we would begin negotiations as a matter of urgency, and that is what we are doing.

This government has received a mandate from millions of voters for change and reform of the NHS, so it can be there for us when we need it once again. It will take time – we never pretended that the NHS could be fixed overnight.

And it will take a team effort. It will be the mission of my department, every member of this government, and the 1.4 million people who work in the NHS, to turn our health service around.

We have done this before. When we were last in office, we worked hand in hand with NHS staff to deliver the shortest waits and highest patient satisfaction in history. We did it before, and together, we will do it again.

That work starts today.

E. coli advice issued amid rise in cases

UKHSA is working with partners to investigate a Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) outbreak

As of 3 July, there have been a further 13 cases associated with the recent outbreak of STEC O145 since the last update on 27 June. This brings the total number of confirmed cases to 288 in the UK.

All currently confirmed cases had symptom onset dates before 10 June.

Although case reporting rates are continuing to decline, we expect to see an additional small number of cases linked to this outbreak as further samples are referred to us from NHS laboratories and whole genome sequencing is conducted.

Confirmed case totals:

  • 191 in England
  • 62 in Scotland
  • 31 in Wales
  • 4 in Northern Ireland (evidence suggests that they acquired their infection in England)

Based on information from 263 cases to date, 49% were admitted to hospital.

Amy Douglas, Incident Director at UKHSA, said: “It’s encouraging that reported cases are continuing to decline, however we still expect to see a few more cases linked to this outbreak as further samples are referred to us for testing.

“Symptoms of infections with STEC include severe and sometimes bloody diarrhoea, stomach cramps, vomiting and fever. While diarrhoea and vomiting can have a range of causes, there are simple steps you can take to reduce your risk and the risk of infecting others.

“Washing your hands with soap and warm water and using disinfectants to clean surfaces will help stop any further spread of infection. If you are unwell, you should not prepare food for others while unwell and avoid visiting people in hospitals or care homes to avoid passing on the infection in these settings.

“Do not return to work, school or nursery until 48 hours after your symptoms have stopped. If you are concerned about your symptoms, follow NHS.UK guidance on when to seek help and the steps you can take to avoid further spread to family and friends.”

Darren Whitby, Head of Incidents at the Food Standards Agency, said: “The food chain investigation into this outbreak will continue to take account of any new information as it becomes available.

“We will continue to work with the relevant businesses, local authorities and agencies involved to ensure the necessary steps are in place to protect consumers.!

As cases linked to this outbreak are now low and continue to decline, this week’s update (5 July) will be the final weekly report on case numbers unless there is a significant change.

New mum celebrates graduation with three-week-old daughter

Patrycja Cwalina has completed her accounting degree at Edinburgh Napier University

A new mum has two reasons to celebrate her Edinburgh Napier University graduation – picking up her degree just three weeks after giving birth to her baby daughter!

Student Patrycja Cwalina welcomed her first child, Lydia, into the world on 13 June, and arrived back home in time to discover she had successfully completed her Accounting degree.

Three-week-old Lydia, along with Patrycja’s partner Ryan, was able to celebrate her mum’s achievement at Edinburgh’s Usher Hall today [4 July].

For the 24-year-old, who moved from Lubin in Poland to Edinburgh nearly a decade ago, it marks the end of a whirlwind final year at ENU.

She said: “It was a little bit challenging. Thankfully I didn’t have much morning sickness, but the first three months of my pregnancy did come at the same time as exams!”

“It was stressful, but Lydia made it easy for me.

“I’m so proud of myself that I managed to finish my studies while being pregnant and working.

“I feel like this is my biggest achievement and as hard as it was, I’m really happy I got to experience my final year with my daughter in my womb.

“She gave me strength and I wanted to do the best for her to have better future.”

Patrycja joined hundreds of peers from The Business School at Edinburgh Napier University in celebrating the completion of their studies at the Usher Hall today.

Now she is planning to turn her attention to settling in as a family, with a new graduate job on the horizon.

She added: “I did a placement which led to a job offer, which I’ll start in September.

“That’s what kept me motivated during my final year – that I’d have a few months to enjoy with Lydia, then I can start work.

“I picked Edinburgh Napier because of the enthusiasm of the lecturers – you can tell that they really care about what they’re doing.

“I have had such a great experience here.”

Have you seen Yvonne?

*** YVONNE HAS BEEN TRACED ***

Police are appealing for information to help trace 34-year-old Yvonne Thomson missing from Edinburgh.

Yvonne was last seen yesterday (Thursday, 4 July, 2024) in the Crewe Road area in the north of the city.

She is described as having orange hair, with a septum piercing. Yvonne uses a wheelchair.

Inspector Ross Nicol said: “Yvonne was spoken to around 7.20am today but we are growingly increasingly concerned for her welfare and are seeking the help of the public in tracing her.

“Anyone with any information should contact Police Scotland on 101 quoting incident 1409 of Friday, 5 July, 2024.”

UPDATE 5pm – YVONNE HAS BEEN TRACED

Amazon Dunfermline team volunteer with CHAS

The team at the Amazon fulfilment centre in Dunfermline recently volunteered at a children’s hospice in Balloch that provides services for children and families across Scotland.

Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS) offers a full family support service for babies, children and young people with life-shortening conditions. This includes palliative care, family respite and support through hospices, homecare services and hospital presence.

The Dunfermline Amazon team cemented its long-term support of CHAS by volunteering at the charity’s hospice, Robin House in Balloch. The hospice offers specialist end-of-life and respite care for families and bereavement support. The Amazon team spent the day cleaning up the garden area at the hospice.

The volunteering event is part of a long-standing support programme that Amazon provides for CHAS. Since 2018, Amazon has donated more than £130,000 to CHAS, while Amazon employees have also volunteered at multiple CHAS events.

Jamie Strain, General Manager at the Amazon fulfilment centre in Dunfermline said: “Our friends at CHAS offer outstanding levels of care and a broad spectrum of services to terminally ill children and their families.

“We are so pleased to help them in any way we can, including our most recent time volunteering at Robin House to provide extra pairs of hands for the staff as they support families in impossibly difficult times.”

Natasha Blyth, an employee at the Amazon fulfilment centre in Dunfermline added: “Thank you to CHAS for allowing us to come and volunteer at the wonderful Robin House.

“We were able to see first-hand the invaluable work the staff do to support terminally ill children and their families and build on our great relationship with the staff there.”

Lara MacDonald, Senior Corporate Partnerships Executive at CHAS said: “We were delighted to welcome volunteers from Amazon EDI4 to Robin House where they supported our gardener Maggie for the day.

“Our gardens play a huge part in creating an incredible care experience for children and families during their time spent at the hospice and we are so grateful to the team for giving up their time to lend a hand.

“Every year, around 150 children die in Scotland due to a life-shortening condition. Whenever a child is ill, it has a huge impact on the whole family. We offer specialist support to families to be there for them through their darkest days and provide a safe space for reflection, rest, shared memories and help create moments of joy.

“We are grateful for our long-term partnership with the Dunfermline Amazon team. They have already raised over £130,000 for us and their continuous support helps us to run our services. Thank you to Natasha and the team for spending their time with us and making a difference to our families.”

Amazon supports the communities where it operates and has delivered free computer science and STEM education programmes to more than 700,000 students across the UK through Amazon Future Engineer.

Amazon helps community organisations transport meals and other essentials to families in need through its pro bono logistics programme, Amazon Local Good, including more than seven million healthy breakfasts to children at risk of hunger in partnership with Magic Breakfast.

And through its Multibank initiative, co-founded with former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Amazon has supported more than 200,000 families experiencing poverty, with the donation of more than 2 million surplus essential goods.

Amazon partners with Comic Relief to help people tackle poverty and is the official home of the charity’s iconic Red Nose.

Together with its employees, customers, and partners, Amazon has raised over £4.8 million to fund projects that support people struggling with the cost-of-living crisis and tackle issues such as homelessness, mental health problems, and food insecurity across the UK, and around the world.

General Election: Change Starts Now?

Campaigning organisation 38 Degrees said: “This is a momentous election. It is a message from across the UK that people want change. But today is not progress – it is just the chance to deliver it. Labour have won big on a message of change. Now they have to make that change real.

Commenting on the result of the General Election, STUC General Secretary Roz Foyer said: “A new dawn has broken. It cannot be a false one. 

“We congratulate Labour on its victory. The new Government can offer hope to workers after 14 years of Tory attacks on our communities, our people and our public services. Through cooperation with the Scottish Government, we can invest in jobs and services.

“The change that the new Prime Minister offered during the campaign must start now. This is day one of his Labour Government. We need decisive action to turn our back on the austerity-driven, public service-slashing, trade union-attacking ways of the Tory past.

“It’s time to rebuild. We will work with the Prime Minister to deliver a progressive Scotland that delivers for working people. He must now deliver for us.”

Responding to the result of the UK general election, David McNeil, SCVO Strategic Director of Development, said: “I would like to offer my congratulations to Keir Starmer on his appointment as Prime Minister.

“There is a pressing need for a more humane politics that puts people and communities first. The new government must move quickly to deliver just that.

“Everyday charities, community organisations and faith groups across Scotland deal with the consequences of decisions made at Westminster – on immigration, social security, employment law, the economy and more.

“Our sector holds a wealth of experience in addressing major societal issues. The knowledge we hold should be seen as an asset to policy and practice design from the outset. This is an opportunity that the new UK government must grasp with both hands.

“It is welcome that, over the weekend, the new Prime Minister and First Minister of Scotland met to commit to improving the relationship between the Scottish and UK Governments. It is our hope that this reset in relations will benefit voluntary organisations across Scotland, and the communities and people that they serve.”

Jonathan Carr-West, Chief Executive, Local Government Information Unit said: “As we witness a change of government, we should be proud of our democracy and grateful to the electoral administrators who make it all happen and to all the candidates, winners and losers, who put themselves up for election.

“We offer special congratulations to all the councillors and council leaders entering parliament.

“We know that local government stands ready to work with the new government and we offer a reminder that national success has local foundations. Labour has set out clear missions for government but these can only be achieved in partnership with local democratic institutions. 

“We congratulate the new government and we urge it to set out a new relationship with councils across the country based on genuine collaboration and parity of esteem.”

The Fire Brigade Union said: “Finally, after 14 years of misery, the Tories are gone. Now the work begins to undo the destruction they caused and improve working people’s lives.“

COSLA’s President, Councillor Shona Morrison, has written to the new Prime Minister, Sir Kier Starmer and the Secretary of State for Scotland, Ian Murray, following the announcement of the results of the UK 2024 General Election.

Councillor Morrison said: “Firstly, I would like to extend my congratulations to the new Prime Minister, Sir Kier Starmer. Today I have written to the new Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Scotland outlining some of the key issues faced by our local government members and the communities they represent.

“We will welcome opportunities to work closely with the UK Government and Scottish Government as partners to improve the wellbeing of people in our communities, continue on the vitally important journey towards a just transition to net zero, and ensure that those in our communities facing the most difficult challenges are fully supported by their local services.

“Our membership, Scotland’s 32 Councils, are the closest sphere of government to people in our communities, and deliver essential services for those communities every day.

“The incoming Government must listen to local government, take into account of our concerns and expertise, and work in partnership with us to ensure there is fair funding and empowerment to make the most effective decisions for the people we are elected to represent.”