NHS Investigation Finds Gender Care Failures at Brighton GP Clinic, 78 Children Prescribed Medication Inappropriately
An NHS safety investigation found that a Brighton GP practice (WellBN) inappropriately prescribed gender-related medications to 78 children under 18 between February 2023 and December 2025, including some under age 13, often without proper face-to-face appointments or necessary medical oversight. The clinic lacked qualified clinicians and specialist support, failed to conduct required blood tests, and provided treatment that fell "far short of what could be considered safe or appropriate." NHS England has suspended prescriptions to children at the clinic and referred clinicians to medical regulators, highlighting systemic failures in a service created to address long waiting times for specialist gender care.
An independent NHS investigation into WellBN, a transgender health hub in Brighton, found serious failures in the care provided to 78 children under 18 who were prescribed gender-related medications between February 2023 and December 2025. More than 20 children received medication without face-to-face appointments. The investigation, conducted by five independent clinicians and initiated after family complaints and legal action, found that none of the clinicians involved were professionally competent to prescribe such medications to children, and there was an absence of specialist endocrinology or child psychiatry support. Specific failures included inadequate blood testing, poor record-keeping, and prescriptions of puberty-suppressing drugs to 44 children aged 16 and under (including 12 under 13) and cross-sex hormones to 51 children aged 16 and under (including 4 under 13). The clinic was established in 2020 partly to address extremely long waiting times at England's three specialist gender services. NHS England has now prohibited the clinic from offering new prescriptions to children and referred multiple clinicians to medical regulators, while acknowledging that staff had genuine intentions to help distressed young people.
What's missing
The investigation report does not appear to quantify actual documented harm to patients, though the report notes this was difficult to assess due to poor record-keeping. The specific nature of the civil legal case mentioned is not detailed. Long-term follow-up plans for the 78 affected children are not fully described.
What different sources said
- BBCCenter
Dozens of children put at risk after gender care failures at GP clinic, inquiry finds
- The TelegraphRight
NHS clinic withdraws cross-sex drugs for 78 children
- BBC Top StoriesCenter
Dozens of children put at risk after gender care failures at GP clinic, inquiry finds
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