NHS Fife head leaving ahead of Sandy Peggie ruling

Carol Potter has led NHS Fife since 2020

The chief executive of NHS Fife has announced plans to retire early.

Carol Potter made the announcement weeks before a ruling on the Sandie Peggie tribunal is expected.

Ms Potter led the health board through the Covid pandemic and the high-profile employment tribunal launched by Ms Peggie, a nurse who was suspended after complaining about having to share a changing room with a transgender doctor.

Ms Potter said she is leaving NHS Fife knowing it has "dedicated leaders, a clear direction, and a culture of continuous learning".

She has worked in the NHS for over 30 years and was appointed interim chief executive of the health board in January 2020 before being confirmed in the role that September.

In a statement, she said: "It has been a privilege to serve as chief executive of NHS Fife and to work alongside such talented and dedicated colleagues across health and social care.

"I am immensely proud of what we have achieved together, particularly in our response to the pandemic, our focus on continuous improvement and learning, and our shared commitment to delivering safe, effective, person-centred care for the people of Fife."

Ms Potter will formally step down next summer and NHS Fife said arrangements will be made to appoint her successor.

Board chairwoman Pat Kilpatrick thanked Ms Potter for her "outstanding leadership" and contribution to NHS Fife and to the wider NHS in Scotland.

She said: "Her dedication to improving health services and outcomes for the people of Fife has been exemplary, and she leaves a strong legacy for her successor to build upon."

What is the Sandie Peggie tribunal?

The news comes ahead of the expected judgment in the Sandie Peggie employment tribunal.

Ms Peggie, a nurse working for NHS Fife, took the health board and Dr Beth Upton to a tribunal earlier this year, claiming that being made to get changed beside her transgender colleague amounted to unlawful harassment under the Equality Act.

She was suspended after she complained about Dr Upton using the female changing rooms in a Kirkcaldy hospital's A&E department.

At the time, NHS guidance said that transgender men and women were allowed to use the changing rooms that aligned with their declared gender identity.

NHS Fife said it has spent over £220,000 defending itself during the tribunal - although the health board will only be liable for £25,000 of legal costs.

The tribunal has gained gained attention from both side of the transgender debate.

A ruling in the case is expected before the end of the year.