Nearly 1,000 senior doctors have written to the British Medical Association (BMA) saying they are “deeply disappointed” by its stance on gender-based services.

The BMA has said it opposes a ban on puberty blocking treatments and wants reforms to follow: Recent official reviews It will be adjourned after voting by the council members.

But organisers say doctors, including some former heads of royal colleges, have supported the open letter.

It accused the BMA of being “opaque and secretive”, and said its policy did not reflect the views of the wider membership.

The BMA has responded by saying that it wants to conduct its own evidence-based assessment of these issues…and also evaluate the state of transgender healthcare in the UK today.

A review of gender services by leading paediatrician Dr Hilary Cass, commissioned by NHS England, was published in April.

It concluded that children were suffering from hopelessness due to a lack of research and “remarkably weak” evidence on medical interventions.

Their report called for a move away from medicalised responses to children struggling with gender identity and towards a comprehensive model incorporating better mental health support.

Shortly before the report was published, the only clinic providing gender-related services in England and Wales, the Tavistock in London, was closed.

NHS England said it would no longer support the routine prescription of puberty blockers, which the NHS used to prescribe as a way to stop puberty. The drugs were then banned by the government.

In early August, NHS England announced its response to the key recommendations of the Cass review.

This includes setting up eight new centres to serve England and Wales by 2026, two of which are already operational. Each will have a designated paediatrician or psychiatrist with overall responsibility for patient safety.

Referrals will not be made directly from GPs but by mental health or paediatric services. There will also be a clinical trial next year on the potential benefits and harms of puberty-suppressing hormones.

These measures were widely welcomed by health leaders. However, the BMA has said that called for a pause She reiterated her commitment to the implementation of the CAS review’s recommendations and said she would conduct her own review of the findings.

The BMA, while welcoming news of next year’s trial, has opposed a ban on puberty blockers and argued that decisions about treating patients should be made by doctors.

Organisers of the letter to the BMA leadership say it has the support of around 1,000 doctors, more than half of whom are BMA members.

He said 23 former or current clinical leaders at the royal college were among the supporters.

The letter said the CAS review was correct to conclude that there was so little evidence about the “safety and efficacy” of puberty blockers that they should only be prescribed under research conditions.

It further argues that the BMA is “going against the principles of evidence-based medicine and ethical practice”.

In response, Professor Philip Banfield, chairman of the BMA Council, said the points raised would be taken into account as part of the organisation’s assessment of the issues.

However, he said the decision by NHS England to stop the routine prescribing of puberty-blocking drugs and the subsequent ban by the Government “goes far beyond any of the recommendations made in the Cass review”.

He said the BMA council had concerns about the “rapid, but selective implementation” of the review proposals.