NHS Fife chief battling Sandie Peggie gender row bags bumper £10k rise - and is paid more than First Minister!
The NHS boss overseeing the health board at the centre of a gender row received a pay rise of up to £10,000 last year – and now earns more than the First Minister.
Carol Potter, chief executive of NHS Fife, was handed a bumper salary boost in 2023-2024 as her pay band hit £145,000, documents seen by this newspaper show.
Her salary will be even higher this year – at least £147,700 – owing to recent public sector pay increases of 5.5 per cent.
Mrs Potter’s new pay bracket also means she earns more than First Minister John Swinney, who is entitled to a salary of £135,605.
Since she took over at NHS Fife in 2020, the performance of the health board has repeatedly come under fire – with record numbers of patients waiting for treatment at the end of last year.
The landmark employment tribunal over the board’s approach to single-sex spaces has also sparked increased scrutiny of NHS Fife’s management.
Ms Potter’s health board is battling to retain credibility after managers suspended nurse Sandie Peggie for raising concerns about a transgender medic using the women’s changing room at Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy.
Mrs Peggie is arguing at an ongoing tribunal in Dundee that having to change next to Dr Beth Upton, who was born a biological man, broke the Equality Act.
Carol Potter, chief executive of NHS Fife, was handed a bumper pay rise and now earns more than the First Minister.
Transgender medic Dr Beth Upton is at the centre of a legal challenge brought by nurse Sandie Peggie.
The claim against NHS Fife and Dr Upton alleges that she faced sexual harassment, harassment related to a protected belief, indirect discrimination and victimisation.
The health board’s handling of the crisis has drawn fierce criticism.
It initially fought to keep Dr Upton’s identity a secret, a move which was rejected by a judge.
NHS Fife later refused to tell this newspaper how much taxpayer money it has spending on defending the case, despite insiders claiming costs could reach a quarter of a million pounds.
But an internal financial report that The Mail on Sunday has been able to access shows the health board’s chief executive was handed a salary of £140,000 to £145,000 in 2023-24.
This was £10,000 more than in the previous financial year.
Every NHS executive and senior manager also received a 5.5 per cent pay rise last year – which means that Mrs Potter’s basic salary has now risen above £147,700.
By comparison, a newly qualified staff nurse earns £30,229 a year, while a nursing assistant has a starting salary of £23,362.
Nurse Sandie Peggie is taking NHS Fife to a tribunal after a row over single-sex changing room
Last night, critics demanded the Scottish Government step in to ensure the health board delivers value for money.
Roz McCall, Scottish Tory MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, said: ‘Suffering patients would expect cash-strapped NHS Fife to be prioritising investment in frontline care rather than lining the pockets of top bosses.
‘They will also question whether this is deserved at a time they are squandering taxpayers’ money on a tribunal involving one of their own employees who is standing up for women’s rights.
‘The SNP government must ensure health boards are delivering value for money for the taxpayer at all times.’
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘The salaries of NHS Scotland chief executives are independently assessed and reflect their roles as leaders of complex public sector organisations providing vital services.
‘The guidance is clear that the pay ratio between the chief executive and median staff salaries, while not a determining factor, should be acknowledged when developing or reviewing chief executives’ salaries.’
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