Doctors at the world-renowned Great Ormond Street Hospital are being discouraged from using gendered language when addressing staff, including 'boys', 'girls', 'ladies', 'gents' and 'dudes', it was reported last night.

Guidance called 'Using Pronouns at GOSH' published on the hospital's official intranet site reportedly urges staff to use more gender-neutral terms such as 'team', 'all' or 'everyone' when addressing colleagues.

The Telegraph reports that doctors are also being warned that deliberately misgendering a colleague could be considered 'harassment' and should take time to 'understand more about others' pronouns and how you can be an ally'.

The guidance, which was written by members of GOSH's LGBTQ+ community, is reportedly not part of the hospital's official policy, although employees are urged to read the document.

The document comes just months after Health Secretary Steve Barclay separately ordered an investigation into new taxpayer-funded guidelines that instructed NHS staff to treat all patients as gender-neutral.

A spokesman for the hospital told MailOnline: 'We want all of our staff at GOSH to feel welcome and included at work in an environment that respects them for who they are, as well as the job they do. 

'Anyone discriminating against another individual on the basis of race, gender, sexuality or any other protected characteristic will be addressed via our official Dignity at Work policy.

'The children and young people's gender service that is being established in collaboration with Evelina London Children's Hospital and south London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust is fully aligned to the recommendations of the Cass Review and the latest clinical evidence available. 

'This is an urgently needed new service to address the large and rising waiting list of young people needing care.' 

In February, Mr Barclay launched an investigation after learning taxpayers had funded an NHS guide to 'inclusive communication'.

The guidance instructs doctors and nurses not to use phrases such as 'Mr' and 'Mrs' or 'he' and 'she' until a patient has confirmed their gender identity. And they are told to consider that this may have changed since the individual's last appointment – even if they see them regularly.

The Department of Health warned that removing gendered language risked 'unintended adverse health consequences'.

The National Institute for Health and Care Research, which bankrolled the research and guidance, is one of the UK's largest funders of health and care research and is funded directly by the Department of Health and Social Care.

It is headed by the Department's chief scientific advisor and tasked with funding research that makes the system more 'efficient, effective and safe'. Doctors are expected to keep up to date with its published findings.