Former nurse loses legal challenge over private gender clinic

A former nurse has failed in her attempt to overturn the registration of England's first private gender clinic for teenagers.

Susan Evans brought the case alongside a mother who wished to remain anonymous.

They claimed the Care Quality Commission (CQC) acted “irrationally” when it approved Gender Plus Hormone Clinic to operate, arguing that patient safety had not been properly safeguarded, particularly in light of NHS guidance introduced following the Cass Review.

The High Court ruling allows Gender Plus to continue treating 16- and 17-year-olds with cross-sex hormones.

Mrs Justice Eady rejected their arguments, ruling that the CQC had carried out “detailed scrutiny” of the clinic’s procedures and that its assessment was “rationally focused… with patient safety foremost in mind”.

She said the criticisms raised were largely about the internal structure of the clinic and “focused on issues of form rather than substance”.

Gender Plus Hormone Clinic is the only private organisation in England licensed to provide hormone treatment to teenagers experiencing gender incongruence, described as a mismatch between biological sex and gender identity.

The Cass Review, published last year, urged “extreme caution” in prescribing such treatment for under-18s.

New NHS guidance requires all cases to be reviewed by a national multi-disciplinary team before hormone prescriptions are approved.

Gender Plus, set up by Dr Aidan Kelly and led by nurse consultant Paul Carruthers, told the court that it fully complies with NHS guidance and has its own specialist team to assess cases.

The CQC confirmed its inspectors reviewed these processes before granting registration.

Following the ruling, Ms Evans said: “I am extremely disappointed at the outcome of this judicial review.” The unnamed mother added: “To say I am disappointed is an understatement.”

Gender Plus welcomed the decision, saying: “This Judicial Review further demonstrates the diligence and integrity of our work. We operate according to the highest standards, always putting patient safety and wellbeing at the heart of every decision.”

The NHS has opened three new specialist children’s gender clinics and plans five more by the end of 2026.

Since the Cass Review, the NHS multi-disciplinary team has not yet received any recommendations for hormone treatment for 16- and 17-year-olds.

The ruling allows Gender Plus to continue delivering services from its clinics in London, Birmingham, and Leeds.