The NHS is launching an independent review into gender identity services for children and young people, it has been announced. The review of the Gender Identity Development Service for Children and Adolescents, which is managed by the Tavistock and Portman NHS foundation trust in London, will assess issues surrounding children and young people who are prescribed puberty blocking and cross-sex hormone drugs. It will also look at how care can be improved, focusing on how and when they are referred to specialist services, and on clinical decisions around how doctors and healthcare professionals support patients with gender dysphoria. The review will examine the recent rise in the number of children seeking treatment. The NHS service at Tavistock, to which those under the age of 18 with concerns about their gender are referred for treatment, has seen a surge in demand from 77 in 2009 to 2,590 in 2018-19. Data by the Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS), an NHS group that supports children experiencing difficulties in the development of their gender identity, shows that the number of referrals each year rose from 97 in 2009-10 to 2,519 in 2017-18. The research will be led by Dr Hilary Cass, former president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. Separately, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) is due to carry out a focused inspection of the Tavistock and Portman NHS foundation trust gender identity services for children and young people during the autumn. The inspection will include feedback from people using the service, parents, relatives, carers and staff. Cass said: “It is absolutely right that children and young people, who may be dealing with a complexity of issues around their gender identity, get the best possible support and expertise throughout their care. “This will be an inclusive process in which everyone will have the opportunity to make their views known. In particular, I am looking forward to hearing from young people and their families to understand their experiences.” Michael Brady, the national adviser for LGBT health, said: “Throughout this process it’s critical we hear from children and young people, those who have accessed these services, their families and expert clinicians, so I am pleased that Dr Cass has put this at the heart of her approach.” Prof Helen Stokes-Lampard, chair of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, said a formal review would provide an evidence-based view on this sensitive and complex subject. A spokesperson for Mermaids, the UK’s leading trans children’s charity, welcomed the report, calling for “transgender, non-binary and gender-diverse voices to be placed at the core of it”. “If children and young people are to benefit from a better-provisioned service, the review must be based on clear evidence and lived experience. We also support the Care Quality Commission’s focused inspection of GIDS, due in the autumn, and we trust it will further support the work of the service’s hard-working clinicians.” The independent review will present recommendations to NHS England and NHS Improvement’s quality and innovation committee.