The gender clinic at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead is “not working”, the NSW health minister has said, saying he wants a new framework to guide care provided by clinicians.

It follows the Four Corners report claiming that the Sydney clinic is riven with internal conflict and has only taken on three new patients over the last six months compared to 88 the previous year — despite growing demand for its services.

Aired last night, it said staff resignations had been triggered in part by the controversial journal paper published in February on 79 young people who attended the clinic between 2013 and 2018.

Co-authored by a number of its senior clinicians, it questioned the validity of the gender-affirming care model for children with gender dysphoria, warning that their prospective study had identified high rates of young patients “desisting” treatment.