By . Daniel Martin . Plea: Norman Lamb, the care services minister, has written to NHS England to demand assurances that GPs are not making referrals for gay conversion therapy . NHS family doctors may be referring gay people for controversial treatments designed to change their sexuality, a minister said last night. Norman Lamb, the care services minister, has written to NHS England to demand assurances that GPs are not making referrals for gay conversion therapy. He said it would be ‘entirely wrong’ for GPs or mental health professionals to do so, and that if any evidence comes to light he would act quickly to ‘eradicate’ it. However, he ruled out a complete ban on gay conversion therapy in the Health Service, saying he did not want doctors to fear prosecution merely for counselling someone coming to terms with their sexuality. The vast majority of health professionals say the so-called ‘therapy’ belongs to a past when homosexuality was illegal and when people believed sexuality was a choice. The most recent survey of psychotherapists, in 2009, found that 17 per cent of the 1,300 who answered admitted trying to help at least one client reduce the attraction felt for someone of the same sex. A third of these people had been referred from within the NHS by their GP.Around 40 per cent were apparently treated within an NHS practice - although it is not known whether this means their treatment was paid for by the NHS. Mr Lamb spoke out after 15 MPs from all parties wrote to him to demand a ban on NHS gay conversion therapy. Campaigners want statutory regulation of psychotherapists, with disciplinary action against anyone involved in gay conversion therapy. He told The Guardian: ‘It is based on the completely false premise that there is something wrong with you if you happen to be gay. I certainly want to do what I can, as a Liberal Democrat, to eradicate this. Support: In a debate on the issue on the Commons in November, Lib Dem MP Stephen Gilbert said: 'In the 21st century, no lesbian, gay bisexual or transgender individual should be accessing this kind of voodoo psychology' ‘I don’t think there should be referrals to professionals in the NHS. I haven’t seen evidence of referrals, but in a vast system [like the NHS] one imagines that could happen. So we have to be clear about the inappropriateness of that.’ He has written to NHS England to stress that NHS money should not be spent in this way. ‘There are steps we can take to make sure it has no place in the NHS,’ he said. ‘We can also send a clear signal that health professionals within the NHS should not be referring people - it would be entirely wrong to make referrals.’ Mr Lamb said an outright ban on the practice would be unworkable. ‘There will be people who want help with coming to terms with their sexuality and need to be able to seek support from a professional,’ he said. It was important to avoid a situation where a doctor or therapist felt they could not counsel someone in that situation. ‘We must not end up with a situation where we end up with people fearing they will be prosecuted.’ In a debate on the issue on the Commons in November, Lib Dem MP Stephen Gilbert said: ‘In the 21st century, no lesbian, gay bisexual or transgender individual should be accessing this kind of voodoo psychology. ‘Instead we should be providing services which help them give confidence and support them with their sexuality.’
Norman Lamb asked whether GPs are making gay conversion referrals .
Care services minister said the treatment would be 'entirely wrong'
Pledged to eradicate it if any evidence came to light .
By . Daniel Martin . Plea: Norman Lamb, the care services minister, has written to NHS England to demand assurances that GPs are not making referrals for gay conversion therapy . NHS family doctors may be referring gay people for controversial treatments designed to change their sexuality, a minister said last night. Norman Lamb, the care services minister, has written to NHS England to demand assurances that GPs are not making referrals for gay conversion therapy. He said it would be ‘entirely wrong’ for GPs or mental health professionals to do so, and that if any evidence comes to light he would act quickly to ‘eradicate’ it. However, he ruled out a complete ban on gay conversion therapy in the Health Service, saying he did not want doctors to fear prosecution merely for counselling someone coming to terms with their sexuality. The vast majority of health professionals say the so-called ‘therapy’ belongs to a past when homosexuality was illegal and when people believed sexuality was a choice. The most recent survey of psychotherapists, in 2009, found that 17 per cent of the 1,300 who answered admitted trying to help at least one client reduce the attraction felt for someone of the same sex. A third of these people had been referred from within the NHS by their GP.Around 40 per cent were apparently treated within an NHS practice - although it is not known whether this means their treatment was paid for by the NHS. Mr Lamb spoke out after 15 MPs from all parties wrote to him to demand a ban on NHS gay conversion therapy. Campaigners want statutory regulation of psychotherapists, with disciplinary action against anyone involved in gay conversion therapy. He told The Guardian: ‘It is based on the completely false premise that there is something wrong with you if you happen to be gay. I certainly want to do what I can, as a Liberal Democrat, to eradicate this. Support: In a debate on the issue on the Commons in November, Lib Dem MP Stephen Gilbert said: 'In the 21st century, no lesbian, gay bisexual or transgender individual should be accessing this kind of voodoo psychology' ‘I don’t think there should be referrals to professionals in the NHS. I haven’t seen evidence of referrals, but in a vast system [like the NHS] one imagines that could happen. So we have to be clear about the inappropriateness of that.’ He has written to NHS England to stress that NHS money should not be spent in this way. ‘There are steps we can take to make sure it has no place in the NHS,’ he said. ‘We can also send a clear signal that health professionals within the NHS should not be referring people - it would be entirely wrong to make referrals.’ Mr Lamb said an outright ban on the practice would be unworkable. ‘There will be people who want help with coming to terms with their sexuality and need to be able to seek support from a professional,’ he said. It was important to avoid a situation where a doctor or therapist felt they could not counsel someone in that situation. ‘We must not end up with a situation where we end up with people fearing they will be prosecuted.’ In a debate on the issue on the Commons in November, Lib Dem MP Stephen Gilbert said: ‘In the 21st century, no lesbian, gay bisexual or transgender individual should be accessing this kind of voodoo psychology. ‘Instead we should be providing services which help them give confidence and support them with their sexuality.’
Lamb, the care services minister, has written to making referrals for gay conversion therapy. He said it would be ‘entirely wrong’ for GPs or any evidence comes to light he would act quickly to ‘eradicate’ it. However, he ruled out a