Wes Streeting accused of lack of transparency on puberty blockers trial just weeks before it starts
Wes Streeting accused of lack of transparency on puberty blockers trial just weeks before it starts
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Exclusive: The puberty blockers trial is due to start within the next few weeks, The Independent understands, but the government is yet to communicate plans for the trial with the young people who will be affected. Wes Streeting has been accused of causing “distress and uncertainty to trans people” and failing to provide clear and transparent information on the puberty blockers trial, which is understood to be starting imminently.
![[Stonewall criticised the DHSC for a lack of information, warning of “distress and uncertainty to trans people and their loved ones”]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/21/10/1c9f59f5-fde5-4c74-8500-222f124c2256.jpg)
Puberty blockers were banned indefinitely in the UK for under-18s in December 2024 after the Cass Review found there was insufficient evidence to show they were safe. It recommended a clinical trial to determine the effectiveness and safety of the medication.
It is understood the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) expects the trial to begin within the next few weeks and conclude in 2028. But NHS sources told The Independent they aren’t expecting to publish any details until February - just one month before it is set to begin - leaving young people wanting to access the medication battling significant uncertainty.
Trans charities and campaign groups have so far received little to no information on who will be able to participate in the trial, how they will access it and when it will start, with Stonewall urging the government to “provide certainty to an extremely vulnerable group”.
