Thousands of children have been waiting almost two years for gender care, new data shows.
The national waiting list for children's gender care has risen despite the opening of two new specialist hubs.
The two services, led by London's Great Ormond Street Hospital (Gosh) and Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool, opened in April following the closure of the Gender Identity Development Service (Gids) run by the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust.
The new centres took on a total of 236 patients from Gids but more than 5,700 others were waiting an average of 100 weeks for a first appointment.
The figures have been described by experts as "concerning" and "deeply depressing", as they emphasised the importance of children and young people having "timely access to the professional care and support they need".
NHS England acknowledged the worry and distress long waiting times can cause but said future plans will help to transform gender care services.
Figures obtained by the PA news agency also revealed that the two new gender care centres have 40 full-time equivalent staff.
NHS England previously said it hopes the two centres will be the first of up to eight specialist centres established over the next two years.
Dr Roman Raczka, president of the British Psychological Society, said: "These latest figures make for concerning reading. It is imperative that children and young people have timely access to the professional care and support they need.
"We must remember that behind the numbers, headlines and often toxic public discourse, there are children and young people who need to access care.
"All too often the issue of gender care which has played out in public has been damaging to the children, young people and families desperately seeking help and this must change."
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Ashley Grossman, an endocrinologist, described the children's waiting list figures as "deeply depressing" but said they "probably reflect the huge disparity in general between the requirements for mental health services for children and the resources available".
The emeritus professor of endocrinology at the University of Oxford said: "There seems to have been a large rise in demand for these services, especially since the isolation and loss of schooling during the pandemic, so I suspect this is a much wider problem than for children with gender dysphoria alone."
An NHS spokesperson said: "We know that children, young people and their families are worried and distressed about the time it can take to access treatment and support from gender services.
"NHS England is making good progress on delivering the recommendations of the Cass Review - expanding services with two new specialist centres which opened in April and more to follow, and we will shortly set out further detailed plans for how all of the Cass Review's recommendations will be delivered in order to transform the provision of care in gender services."
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A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "For too long, children and young people who are questioning their gender identity have struggled to get the support they need.
"We are working with NHS England to transform gender identity services to tackle waiting times and ensure everyone receives holistic care, guided by clinical experts, paediatricians and psychologists."
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Tap hereIn her final report in April, Dr Hilary Cass said the length of the waiting list to access gender services has "significant implications" for children and their families.
She recommended a care model which is "holistic and personal", potentially comprising a wide range of interventions and services, including paediatric and mental health services.
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