NHS staff are being advised to ignore parents’ wishes if they conflict with those of a child who identifies as transgender - even if the child is not considered to have the understanding and intelligence to consent.

A Telegraph investigation has found that one NHS trust is even willing to allow adolescents to share sleeping space with members of the opposite sex upon admission to single sex wards.

It comes after the Telegraph revealed hospitals are routinely allowing male patients to share women’s wards if they self-identify as transgender, despite the government's commitment to eliminating mixed-sex wards.

Responses to more than 100 Freedom of Information requests revealed that some NHS trusts in England are allowing the rights of transgender children to override those of their parents, even if the children are not “Gillick competent” - a medical assessment to determine they can be considered mature enough to make decisions for themselves.