SNP health secretary told to sack NHS Fife chief executive over Sandie Peggie ruling
Carol Potter is due to take early retirement next summer - but MSPs say government ministers should step in and sack her.
The SNP’s health secretary is being told to sack the chief executive of NHS Fife after the health board was found to have harassed nurse Sandie Peggie.
During an emergency debate on the issue in Holyrood, MSPs told government ministers that trans activists have been allowed to “push their illegal and harmful self-ID agenda” and “fuel a toxic and harmful culture” within NHS boards
However pro-trans politicians within Holyrood highlighted the “blanket exclusion of trans people” is not supported by current law.
Ms Peggie took her employer and Dr Beth Upton, a trans woman, to tribunal following an incident in the female changing room at Victoria Hospital’s A&E department in Kirkcaldy on Christmas Eve 2023.
What happened in this incident was disputed, but Ms Peggie was placed on special leave after Dr Upton made allegations of bullying and harassment against her.
On Monday the tribunal ruled NHS Fife had harassed Ms Peggie in how it handled the situation - however 43 out of the 47 claims Ms Peggie had brought forward were dismissed, including all of the claims against Dr Upton and the claims of discrimination and victimisation.
Speaking on Monday evening, Ms Peggie said: “I am beyond relieved and delighted that the tribunal has found that my employer Fife Health Board harassed me after I complained about having to share a female only changing room with a male colleague.”
The senior nurse went on to say the past two years have been “agonising” for both her and her family, with whom she now plans to spend “a quiet few days”.
Less than a month before this, NHS Fife’s chief executive announced the “time is right” for her to take early retirement and will officially leave the top job in summer 2026.
However Scottish Conservative MSPs have said she must not be allowed to retire and instead Health Secretary Neil Gray should sack her.
Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, said: “The conduct of the senior management team of NHS Fife in this entire episode has been disgraceful.
“Spending hundreds of thousands of pounds of public money defending the indefensible and the media management which saw the character of Sandie Peggie, a nurse with a 30-year unblemished record, traduced in court by a bizarre media statement attacking her legal team.
“That had to be withdrawn and it was instructed personally by Carol Potter. Carol Potter has lost the confidence of the people of Fife and doesn’t deserve to continue in that role.
“She shouldn’t be allowed to retire on a healthy pension - will the health secretary sack her and remove her from a job she is not fit to do?”
Douglas Ross MSP added: “Shamefully the cabinet secretary expressed confidence in the senior leadership of NHS Fife.
“He must now have come to the conclusion most of us reached months ago that they don't deserve that confidence.
“If the current chief executive doesn’t do the right thing and resign, will he do the right thing and sack her?”
In response Mr Gray said those involved in the tribunal still have 14 days to appeal the judgement, but the Scottish Government is speaking to NHS Fife and giving “serious consideration” to the ruling.
The comments were made during an urgent question by Tess White MSP, who said the tribunal ruling meant the “floodgates have opened” and urged government ministers to stop funding a number of LGBT+ organisations.
She said: “Too many female nurses are operating in a climate of fear in a two-class system.
“NHS boards are allowing trans activists to push their illegal and harmful self-ID agenda and fuel a toxic and harmful culture.
“The cabinet secretary talks about different opinions, but what about nurses who are being told to be nice, when nice means subjugating rights to privacy, dignity and safety?
“Activism has no place in hospitals where the number one priority should be safeguarding.”
She then said: “Hard-earned taxpayer money is being paid by the Scottish Government to fuel organisations like Engender, LGBT Youth Scotland, Stonewall and the Scottish Trans Alliance, allowing them to go rogue unchecked, and many are pushing illegal propaganda influencing training materials, guidelines and policies in hospitals and the wider public sector.”
She then told the health secretary to review this before these organisations are due for financial renewal.
However, others within the debating chamber said the tribunal ruling was not the win anti-trans campaigners are painting it to be, and said trans people were becoming segregated within society.
Former Scottish Greens leader Patrick Harvie MSP, said: “Despite the valiant attempts by anti-trans campaigners to claim a win on this issue, the tribunal in fact found Ms Peggie’s own behaviour amounted to harassment of Dr Upton and dismissed the vast majority of her claims.
“Most importantly, this is the second employment tribunal in a month to find employers are not in fact required to operate the kind of trans segregation policies which anti-equality groups are pushing for.
“Does the Scottish Government agree that the blanket exclusion of trans people from facilities they need at work is generally unlawful, and make clear to all public bodies that the segregation of trans people is not supported in law and human rights and defend them against this current onslaught?”
In response Mr Gray said government ministers are “still working through and considering the ruling carefully” for its wider implications, but reiterated that the four claims of Ms Peggie’s that did succeed needed to be “taken seriously”.
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