Lawyers representing Sandie Peggie have demanded a nursing union clarifies whether it will intervene in ongoing demands for NHS Fife to provide single-sex spaces in hospitals. The Herald revealed on Monday that the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Scotland declined to get involved in the ongoing row, despite warning NHS trusts in England they were breaking the law in similar cases.
Ms Peggie, a nurse at the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy, was suspended in January 2024 after raising concerns about sharing a changing room with a transgender doctor. She has been off work since February 2025 due to work-related stress. Her lawyer, Margaret Gibbon, has written to Norman Provan, associate director of RCN Scotland, requesting the union to challenge NHS Fife over its policy on single-sex spaces, which she believes is negatively affecting female staff.
The ongoing dispute has raised questions about the RCN’s stance on single-sex spaces in healthcare settings, especially in light of similar cases in England where the union intervened. Despite Ms Peggie’s long-standing membership with the union, there has been no indication of support from RCN Scotland in her case. The lack of action from the union has left Ms Peggie and her legal team frustrated and seeking clarification on the union’s position in the matter.
