EHRC are reported as saying they are reviewing correspondence from NHS Fife and will consider "any appropriate next steps, including the use of our enforcement powers". NHS Fife asked to comment
A spokesperson for NHS Fife said:
NHS Fife did not receive a letter from the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and subsequently requested a formal copy from the Commission, following its publication on the EHRC website on 21 February 2025.
The EHRC announced that they had written to NHS Fife and Scottish Government regarding access to single-sex changing facilities for NHS staff; but no such letter was received directly by NHS Fife, and we had expected to see that correspondence before responding.
Following NHS Fife’s request, the letter from the EHRC was subsequently received on 20 March 2025 via email and the Board responded directly on 27 March 2025.
A copy of our response is publicly available on our website: https://www.nhsfife.org/news-updates/latest-news/2025/03/nhs-fife-response-to-the-equalities-and-human-rights-commission/
NHS Fife does not have a standalone policy or corresponding equality impact assessment (EQIA). Instead the Board followed an individual approach based on equality legislation as we are await national guidance (a gender transitioning guide, which has been under development, as part of the ‘Once for Scotland’ NHS Scotland Workforce Policy Programme, to ensure consistency across all NHS Boards in Scotland).
