NHS staff has been asked to treat colleagues with beards as women when they identify themselves as feminine, it has been reported.
Official guidelines from NHS Scotland states that employees must use the correct name and pronouns for transgender colleagues.
A training scenario used by the health service asked employees to consider the fictional matter of 'Lucy', a 29-year-old trans nurse.
The character is said that it can still formally change her name of Lee and 'still producing visible face hair'.
The training module explained that some employees hesitate to correct patients who still use male terms to refer to Lucy.
The fictional scenario is supposed to have concluded with employees who are told that 'Lucy discrimination will not be tolerated'.
It adds that Lucy's rights are protected according to the Equality Act and colleagues must use her correct name and pronouns.
Scottish Tories closed the training module, which has since been updated, as 'ridiculous' and 'absurd'.
NHS employees are asked to treat colleagues with beards as women when they identify themselves as female (depicted: Scottish Prime Minister John Swinney)
Official guidelines from NHS Scotland states that employees should use the correct name and pronouns for transgender colleagues (file photo)
A training scenario that was used by the health service asked employees to consider the fictional matter of 'Lucy', a 29-year-old transvister (stock photo)
MSP Stephen Kerr said, according to the Telegraph: 'It is absolutely absurd to demand that staff and patients ignore the biological reality and participate in a forced illusion.
“This type of thinking control has no place in rational, professional health care, where clear communication, trust and biological facts are crucial for patient care and coherence in the workplace.”
The same NHS Scotland guidance also promotes the rollout of gender-neutral toilets as a way to 'promote equality'.
It claims that the lavatories promote equality by eliminating the need for people to conform to traditional gender standards'.
The content of the training scenarios, which were developed by the NHS Education for Scotland Agency (NES), was initially announced by the Times newspaper.
However, after he was approached for comment, the NES removed the scenario about gender -neutral bathrooms and the claim that staff had a 'legal obligation' to use Lucy's correct pronouns.
It comes as Prime Minister John Swinney recently confirmed that he supported transgender employees who can use the toilets that they feel most comfortable with.
This led to claims that he 'married the reckless gender self-ID policy of Nicola Sturgeon'.
A Scottish government equality and inclusion policy states that 'trans-employees must choose to use the facilities that they feel most comfortable with, including the use of accessible toilets if they want'.
Asked if he supports the policy, without any requirement to have changed their legal gender, Mr. Swinney said: 'Of course I support the available guidance.
NHS FIFE Nurse Sandie Peggie took NHS FIFE about Trans Doctor Beth Upton's use of a female changing area
Dr. Beth Upton leaves the Tribunal in Dundee, Scotland, in February
'But it is also supported by the need to ensure that such a question does not come to the disadvantage of other staff members.
“And that is a crucial obligation, which is in the law that the government must take care of as an employer, is provided in these circumstances within our estate.”
Whether he believes that transvrouwen are women, he said, “The answer I have given to that before is that I accept that if the case is.”
The row comes in the aftermath of a high -profile employment tribunal in Scotland about the right of Transmensen to gain access to only female areas.
NHS FIFE nurse Sandie Peggie sued the Health Council after he claimed that it has violated the Equality Act 2010 by allowing transgender arts Beth Upton to use a feminine -changing area.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) wrote to NHS FIFE remind them of 'obligations' around single-sex spaces in the equality act, including their duty to assess and assess 'new and revised policy or practices or practices'.
There have been concerned that NHS Fife may have violated the law by not implementing an impact assessment of its policy.
Swinney said questions about whether transgender employees gain access to only female spaces are 'carefully calibrated by the requirements of legislation'.
He said: 'The law must be followed and the law is quite clear that there must be a single-sex spaces available within our estate, so that is what the law says and requires from us and that must be the case.
'There are of course schemes in the Equality Act that tackle the issues with which an employer must be tackled by a Trans Person by a desire to use that single gender rooms, and exemptions that can be used if the employer runs through the necessary process of the implications of that fact for other members of the staff.
“The rule of law is the crucial point here and all organizations must act consistently with the law, and that is what I would expect to be the case in all circumstances.”
A spokesperson for Nes said: “The Times article is incorrect. We do not tell staff what to do or say.
“This is just a document to help staff think about and discuss a series of equality topics in the workplace.”
In an earlier statement to the Times, Nes said: 'We assess and routinely assess our educational sources in the light of guidance and policy changes. In the light of a recent statement from the EHRC, we have assessed some of these sources, including the cultural humility source. '
MailOnline has contacted NHS Scotland for comment.
