Family of Brighton trans woman Alice Litman say her death was due to care delay

1 year ago 68

The household of a transgender pistillate who died aft astir 3 years connected an NHS waiting database said her decease was caused by the hold successful care.

Alice Litman, from Brighton, took her ain beingness past May arsenic she waited connected a database with much than eleven 1000 radical to sermon her transition.

Her household said she "couldn't tolerate" her beingness being enactment connected hold.

The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust said it was "deeply saddened" by Ms Litman's death.

Ms Litman's mother, Caroline, said she had "desperately wanted to determination connected with her beingness and the agelong hold lists meant that she couldn't".

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She added: "It was conscionable putting her beingness connected hold. In the extremity she conscionable couldn't tolerate it immoderate more. It has torn our household apart.

"We loved her with each our hearts and we are truthful bittersweet that she's gone. I bash judge that with the close attraction she could person managed and she would person thrived."

Image source, Litman family

Image caption,

Alice's household supported her determination to unrecorded arsenic a woman

Ms Litman was 16 erstwhile she told her household she wanted to unrecorded arsenic a woman.

She had been referred to the NHS Gender Identity Development Service successful August 2019, but was inactive waiting for an archetypal appraisal erstwhile she took her ain beingness astatine the property of 20.

Ms Litman's household are hoping her inquest, owed to instrumentality spot successful September, volition analyse the contented of accessibility to gender-affirming healthcare crossed the UK.

Image caption,

Peter and Caroline Litman anticipation lessons volition beryllium learned from Alice's death

Ms Litman's father, Peter, said: "It's not conscionable Alice. It's excessively precocious for her.

"There are tons of different young transgender radical retired determination and they request our help."

The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust, to which Ms Litman had been referred, said: "We are profoundly saddened to larn of the decease of a diligent who was waiting to beryllium seen astatine the Gender Identity Clinic, but it is not due to remark portion the inquest is ongoing."

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