Fresh fears have been raised over ‘patient safety’ as figures show Scotland’s largest health board has received a slew of complaints about trans people using single sex loos and changing rooms.
Statistics released under freedom of information laws show 16 complaints have been lodged with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde in the past five years.
Patients raised the concerns over the use of single-sex spaces by both transwomen and transmen.
According to the data, out of the 16 complaints submitted between 2019 and 2024, fewer than five were upheld. Seven were not upheld and five were partially upheld.
The health board has already been at the centre of controversy after it issued guidance to staff – later withdrawn – which said that women who expressed concern about sleeping next to trans patients were akin to those who harboured racial prejudice.
It also oversaw the controversial Sandyford gender clinic which, until recently, prescribed young people puberty blockers to aid their early-stage transition.
Last night Scottish Conservative equalities spokeswoman Tess White MSP said: ‘These shocking findings are further proof of women and girls being placed at risk by Nicola Sturgeon’s reckless gender self-ID policy.
‘Scotland’s largest health board have a duty to provide single-sex spaces, and must confirm that all of these complaints have been treated with the upmost seriousness.
Scottish Conservative equalities spokeswoman Tess White MSP said the findings are further proof of women and girls being placed at risk
Patients have raised the concerns relating to the use of single-sex spaces
‘However, the onus is also on the SNP to finally provide a directive to our public sector bodies such as health boards to guarantee single-sex spaces will always be provided for women and girls.’
Helen Joyce, director of advocacy at human rights charity Sex Matters said: ‘Each of these 16 cases involved someone who felt so vulnerable and at-risk because of having to share facilities with members of the opposite sex that they felt they had no choice but to make a formal complaint.
‘The onus shouldn’t be on members of the public, least of all those undergoing medical treatment, to ensure that basic privacy and safeguarding measures are in place.
‘How many more complaints will it take for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to take patient safety concerns seriously?’
NHS GGC was the first NHS Board in Scotland to publish a transgender policy which contained the ‘fundamental directive’ that trans people ‘will be treated in their chosen gender at all times’.
It stipulated that people must ‘always let trans people decide which toilet is the most appropriate for them to use’, adding: ‘Legally, they are allowed to.’
The guidance added: ‘NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde supports the use of single sex facilities for transgender people who are living permanently in their chosen gender.’
The question of legality over allowing trans people to use single-sex spaces is currently under intense scrutiny at a landmark employment tribunal involving NHS Fife.
Nurse Sandie Peggie is arguing that the east coast health board broke the Equality Act by forcing her to change alongside transgender medic, Dr Beth Upton.
The subject of allowing trans people to use single-sex spaces is under intense scrutiny at an employment tribunal involving complaints from Nurse Sandie Peggie who says she was forced to change alongside transgender medic, Dr Beth Upton, above
The Equality and Human Rights Commission has signalled that equalities legislation does protect single-sex facilities in the wake of the row.
Since the tribunal, NHS GGC’s guidance on use of single-sex spaces has been updated to refer to transgender people as those who have ‘reassigned’ their ‘sex’ rather than their gender.
NHS GGC has repeatedly been on the receiving end of criticism over its position on trans care; it was forced to withdraw a policy which suggested that complaining about being treated next to a trans person was akin to racism.
And it oversaw the running of the Sandyford gender identity clinic which allowed young people under the age of 18 to transition to a different gender.
Last year, The MoS revealed that dozens of children aged under ten had been referred to the Sandyford, including two youngsters under the age of five.
The children were either directed to the clinic by a GP, or as ‘self-referrals’, usually through a family member.
An NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde spokeswoman said: ‘NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde follows advice provided by the Equality and Human Rights Commission. This means we make decisions on a case-by-case basis.’
