Senior managers at NHS Fife should step down over the board’s handling of the Sandie Peggie tribunal, Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay has said.
Ms Peggie was suspended from her job as an A&E nurse at the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy in 2024 after complaining about having to share a changing room with trans medic Dr Beth Upton.
Ms Peggie took the board to an employment tribunal which began earlier this year.
But this week, Ms Peggie was cleared of a bullying and harassment complaint from Dr Upton, as the tribunal reconvened.
Mr Findlay has called for NHS Fife chief executive Carol Potter to resign, along with the authority’s board, and if they refuse, the Scottish Government should step in and sack them, he said.
“This ongoing slow-motion car crash from NHS Fife confirms that Carol Potter and her entire board can no longer remain in post,” the Scottish Tory leader said.
“In their zeal to embrace the SNP’s bonkers belief in gender ideology, they were willing to destroy the career of a nurse and waste huge sums of taxpayers’ money.”
Mr Findlay claimed the board was “smearing Sandie Peggie and the campaigners who have stood with her”.
On Friday, the board released a lengthy statement claiming there had been a threat of “physical harm and sexual violence” in relation to the tribunal, but clarified this is not believed to be related to any of Ms Peggie’s supporters.
An earlier version of the statement had referenced the involvement of the campaign group Sex Matters.
“The claimant’s case is being supported by Sex Matters, whose chief executive officer and co-founder was called as a witness by the claimant in the earlier hearing.
“The claimant’s barrister is also chair of Sex Matters.
“Other members of the organisation’s ‘advisory group’ have provided commentary to the media on a number of occasions where no reference is made to their direct involvement.”
The updated version of the statement removed reference to the group’s involvement in the tribunal and inserted two notes saying the board “is not seeking to suggest that Sex Matters have contributed to the behaviour or issues mentioned”.
Mr Findlay added: “John Swinney, Neil Gray and their SNP colleagues appear to be the only people left in Scotland who think this is OK.
“If the NHS Fife board won’t do the right thing and quit, then they should be sacked.”
A spokesperson for NHS Fife said: “As this is an active legal case, it would be inappropriate to respond to these comments.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “It would be inappropriate to comment further while judicial proceedings in an employment tribunal are ongoing.”
