A Christian who was dismissed as a magistrate after expressing the view that it was in a child’s best interests to be raised by a mother and father, began legal action in November after being blocked from returning to his role as an NHS director.
Richard Page, who has nearly 20 years’ experience as a finance director in the NHS, was suspended from his role as a non-executive director of Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT) in March. The Trust said that in its view, Richard's expression of his beliefs about family life would have ‘a negative impact on the Trust, its staff and most importantly its patients’.
When his tenure came to an end in June 2016, Richard expressed an interest to apply for a further term. But a panel said that ‘it was not in the interests of the health service for you to serve as a non-executive director in the NHS’. The panel had received only one complaint about Richard's views, but was made aware of more than 6,500 supporting emails.