A senior Queensland children’s psychiatrist who was suspended from clinical duties for raising concerns about gender-affirming care for minors has been investigated for alleged “inappropriate” social media comments.
On May 19, Dr. Jillian Spencer announced on her social media account that she had been referred to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) following the complaint of an individual on April 29.
According to the notification letter seen by The Epoch Times, the individual raised concerns that Dr. Spencer had made inappropriate comments on social media.
However, the letter did not state what the “inappropriate comments” were.
The letter then informed Dr. Spencer that, after reviewing the complaint, Queensland’s Office of the Health Ombudsman (OHO) had referred the matter to AHPRA for further action.
In making the decision, the OHO said the complaint appeared to fall outside the scope of the ombudsman as it was only responsible for investigating what might amount to professional misconduct.
“The Health Ombudsman (or delegate) considers that AHPRA or relevant national board are the most appropriate entities to deal with the matter,” the letter read.
The letter further notified Dr. Spencer that the AHPRA and other medical regulators would contact the psychiatrist for more information.
In a social media post, Dr. Spencer criticised medical regulators for opening an investigation against her.
“All of my social media comments are on this X feed. The persecution of doctors raising concerns about harm to children from gender interventions needs to stop.
“How many AHPRA /OHO investigations do I need to be put through?”
Medical Regulators’ Response
The AHPRA says it will not be commenting on the matter, citing confidentiality.“Confidentiality provisions of the National Law under which we operate limit what we can say publicly about an individual practitioner or matter,” an AHPRA spokesperson told The Epoch Times.
“We can’t comment on individual cases, except to the extent that information is otherwise in the public domain.”
An OHO spokesperson told The Epoch Times that the ombudsman was aware of Dr. Spencer’s social media post.
“Strict privacy and confidentiality provisions under section 272 of the [Health Ombudsman] Act prevent the OHO from disclosing more detailed or identifiable information about individual complaints, practitioners, healthcare facilities, or investigations,” the spokesperson said.
“Under Queensland’s co-regulatory system, the OHO and AHPRA share certain responsibilities in relation to overseeing and regulating registered health practitioners.
Suspended Over Concerns About ‘Gender-Affirming Care’
In April 2023, Dr. Spencer was stood down from her medical duties at the Queensland Children’s Hospital (QCH) following a complaint from a 14-year-old patient.It was reported that the patient, who had been taking puberty blockers, accused the doctor of “transphobia,” after undergoing a consultation with her.
The hospital’s management later considered Dr. Spencer a risk to the safety of children who think they are transgender and decided to suspend the psychiatrist from her position.
Prior to that, Dr. Spencer had expressed concerns about the hospital’s “gender-affirming care” model for children.
The doctor is known for advocating a cautious approach to “gender-affirming care” and for questioning the evidence base behind prescribing puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to children.
In mid-2023, Dr. Spencer filed a complaint with the Queensland Human Rights Commission alleging that she was forced to comply with her employer’s “gender-affirming” policies that could result in significant harm to young patients.
