The UK's top Doctors' union is urging the House of Lords to destroy the controversial bill proposing sweeping changes to the NHS.

The British Medical Association (BMA) on Wednesday reiterated their strong opposition to the NHS reforms as peers continue debating the proposals.

The bill is midway through its second reading in the Lords on Wednesday morning, while various medical royal colleges and faculties have published surveys and briefings highlighting the level of opposition to the reforms.

Currently, an amendment tabled by two crossbenchers, Lord Owen and Lord Hennessy – could gain a majority in the house, which could possibly severely delay or damage the health reforms beyond repair and kill the bill completely.

In a letter to peers, BMA council chairman Hamish Meldrum said: "On balance, the BMA still believes the bill, as it currently stands, poses an unacceptably high risk to the NHS in England."

Meanwhile, a survey by the Royal College of GPs (RCGP) found 70% of its members either strongly agree or agree that the bill should be withdrawn, while only 4% agreed the reforms would result in better patient care.

Of more than 1,900 surveyed, half believed the plans would lead to further private sector involvement in the NHS while the majority said the proposals would not reduce bureaucracy, as claimed by the Government.

RCGP chair Clare Gerada said: "The survey confirms what we have been saying all along; the college has made its support for placing GPs at the heart of the health service clear, but the results of this snapshot survey are impossible to ignore, and the majority of respondents still have concerns about commercialisation, increased bureaucracy and standards of patient care that the government has not allayed."

On Tuesday, a survey conducted by the Department of Health said it had found over 80% of patients wanted more choice over their treatment by the NHS, however, the BMA said that the "choice" element proposed by the Government could lead to preferential treatment being given to those who could afford it.

A separate poll by the RCPsych (Royal College of Psychiatrists) found only one in ten believe the reforms would improve patient care, with 84% of the 1,890 respondents believing the bill should be withdrawn and almost 80% feeling the plans would not improve relationships between GPs and psychiatrists.

RCPsych president Sue Bailey said: "I urgently call on the House of Lords to set up a health select committee to interrogate and debate more fully the implications of these reforms for our patients."

(DW/CD)