U-turn on trans toilet rules by NHS Fife amid Sandie Peggie tribunal case

Credit: PA/Wire/Andrew Milligan

By Craig Meighan, PA

The Scottish NHS board embroiled in a legal battle with gender critical nurse Sandie Peggie over single-sex spaces has said its staff should now use facilities that correspond with their sex at birth, rather than their gender identity.

NHS Fife has released an equality impact assessment following the high-profile employment tribunal brought by Ms Peggie, who was suspended after complaining about having to share a changing room with transgender medic Dr Beth Upton at Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy on Christmas Eve 2023.

The assessment comes after the UK's equality watchdog told the health board to "progress corrective actions" on single-sex spaces without delay.

The health board stated its interim position will be to "provide a mix of suitable facilities" that follow the law.

The review says: “Where toilets and changing facilities are not in individual separate lockable rooms, separate toilets and changing facilities will be provided for men and women alongside additional gender-neutral facilities.”