Alice Litman had waited nearly three years to discuss transitioning when she took her own life.
The family of a transgender woman who died after nearly three years on an NHS waiting list said her death was caused by the delay in care.
Alice Litman, from Brighton, took her own life last May as she waited on a list with more than eleven thousand people to discuss her transition.
Her family said she “couldn’t tolerate” her life being put on 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 move on with her life and the long wait lists meant that she couldn’t”.
She added: “It was just putting her life on hold. In the end she just couldn’t tolerate it any more. It has torn our family apart.
“We loved her with all our hearts and we are so sad that she’s gone. I do believe that with the right care she could have managed and she would have thrived.”
Image source, Litman family
Ms Litman was 16 when she told her family she wanted to live as a woman.
She had been referred to the NHS Gender Identity Development Service in August 2019, but was still waiting for an initial assessment when she took her own life at the age of 20.
Ms Litman’s family are hoping her inquest, due to take place in September, will examine the issue of accessibility to gender-affirming healthcare across the UK.
Ms Litman’s father, Peter, said: “It’s not just Alice. It’s too late for her.
“There are lots of other young transgender people out there and they need our help.”
The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust, to which Ms Litman had been referred, said: “We are deeply saddened to learn of the death of a patient who was waiting to be seen at the Gender Identity Clinic, but it is not appropriate to comment while the inquest is ongoing.”
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