Women’s and Children’s Hospital orders review into Gender Clinic after trans care oversight

The Adelaide hospital’s chief has apologised after children – at least one aged 11 – were approved for gender-affirming care against SA Health guidelines.

Women’s and Children’s Hospital has publicly apologised after revealing 22 children were approved for gender transitioning without first seeing a psychiatrist.

Aged between 11 and 18, the patients were prescribed gender-affirming treatment between July 2023 and 2024 after meeting with mental health clinicians and specialist doctors, but were not psychiatrically assessed per SA Health’s guidelines.

On Friday, Women’s and Children’s Health Network (WCHN) chief executive Rebecca Graham said she ordered an internal review of the hospital’s Gender Clinic when staff identified the errors.

Women's and Children's Hospital’s Gender Clinic prescribed gender-affirming care to 22 children without referring them to a psychiatrist, but the hospital said all patients were later found to have been correctly treated. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

In each case, psychiatrists later endorsed the clinic’s original diagnosis and Ms Graham said families were “highly supportive of their child’s treatment”.

She also welcomed a separate investigation by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), which the federal government in January ordered to re-evaluate the national best practice guidelines for treating gender dysphoria in children.

“We acknowledge that the model of care was not strictly followed as it should have been for these 22 young people and we apologise for that,” Ms Graham said.

Women’s and Children’s Health Network chief executive Rebecca Graham has ordered a review into the hospital’s gender transition protocols for young people. Picture: Emma Brasier

Health Minister Chris Picton. Picture: Brenton Edwards

“To provide certainty and assurance, I commissioned a review of the implementation of the clinic’s model of care which is currently underway with findings expected in the coming months.

“Staff have been reminded of the new model of care and WCHN has also provided additional psychiatry staffing to the service.

“Most importantly, no harm was identified with any of our patients and the subsequent psychiatry assessments supported all the original diagnoses.”

While gender transition protocols differ state to state, the Australian Standards of Care and Treatment Guidelines do not mandate a psychiatrist’s advice, although do recommend involving “clinicians with expertise in … child and adolescent psychiatry”.

Health Minister Chris Picton said he will “ensure that the hospital fully cooperates with [the NHMRC] review.

“The medical decisions for children were at all times, and continue to be, made by specialist doctors, not politicians,” Mr Picton said.

In February 2024, the state government shot down calls for a parliamentary inquiry into gender dysphoria, proposed by crossbencher Frank Pangallo with support from some Liberals and One Nation.

At the time, Premier Peter Malinauskas said an inquiry not led by medical experts would be “hyper-political in nature” and “only seek to perpetuate the culture wars”.

Mr Pangallo’s proposal was prompted by the UK’s Cass Review, which last year recommended limiting puberty blockers for under-18s.

The review determined “there is not enough evidence to support [their] safety or clinical effectiveness … to make the treatment routinely available at this time”.

Approximately 45,000 Australian schoolchildren identify as transgender, according to The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne.

Originally published as Women’s and Children’s Hospital orders review into Gender Clinic after trans care oversight