Parents of trans teenagers going private to beat waiting lists

Parents of transgender children say they are being denied treatment by the NHS because they have sought help from private doctors.

Many have resorted to seeking help outside of the health service because they say waiting lists are too long and there are delays in treatment because of lengthy assessments.

The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust – which runs the gender identity service for under 18s – says the wellbeing of young people is their prime concern – but they are not able to provide ongoing clinical supervision for the management of hormone treatments prescribed or accessed outside the service.

Referrals to the Tavistock have reached a record high – more than 1,500 in this financial year already.

There are currently 1,200 families on the waiting list and it is taking them between six and seven months to get a first appointment.

This clip is taken from 5 live Investigates 26 February 2017.