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<p>Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust is working with NHS England to develop
and implement measures to reduce waiting times. NHS England has increased funding
for the Trust’s Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) by around 150% since 2015/16,
but the Trust continues to face challenges in recruiting clinical staff in GIDs with
significant experience and expertise.</p><p>The service has trialled several initiatives
to provide support to young people who are referred, this includes - but is not limited
to:</p><p>- an ongoing recruitment drive;</p><p>- initiatives to actively manage the
waiting list offering consultations to local services in complex cases while they
wait for specialist input;</p><p>- consultation sessions with local mental health
services and group sessions with children under 10 years of age;</p><p>- regularly
reviewing communication around the waiting lists to equip young people with information
which is as accurate as possible about their wait;</p><p>- reviewing policies and
procedures around first appointments, for example looking at Did Not Attend (DNA)
policies to ensure those offered appointments to take them up;</p><p>- giving more
attention to clinically appropriate timely transitions between the Trust’s gender
identity service and adult services; and</p><p>- clinician operated ‘helpline’ for
urgent enquiries/concerns from young people, their families and referrers on the waiting
list.</p><p>NHS England has also committed to reviewing the service specification
for GIDS in 2019/20.</p>
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