NHS Policy Audit - working party -Thread #3

[KnottyAuty]

NHS Policy Audit - working party -Thread #3

Original thread #1 here:
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5291237-nhs-policy-audit-working-party?page=1
Thread #2:
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5322494-nhs-policy-audit-working-party-thread-2

This is a thread about “keeping the receipts” on NHS Policies prior to the Supreme Court ruling on 16th April 2025.

Our working theory is that there were no single sex spaces for NHS Staff or Patients in the entire country before that date, having all been removed by stealth.

We are aiming to prove this by auditing websites and policies for all the UK trusts and using the results to raise public awareness.

As well as recording what has happened historically, the information will form a baseline so we can check which Trusts comply or defy the judgement in due course...

We are working around the country region by region. If you fancy getting involved in a bit of grassroots feminism then please do join in to help!?

Each trust takes about an hour to research and you can upload online without giving any personal details away. Comment below and we can give you the link to an online survey - it changes for each region.

Thanks soooo much to all the vipers who have helped so far and @twoloons for doing a great job with the thread wrangling!

It seems that GN News have done a follow up on the Telegraph although because it was put out on Christmas Day, the film which accompanies the article is older footage from the Darlington Nurses.

https://www.gbnews.com/news/nhs-single-sex-spaces-women-trusts-defy-supreme-court-ruling

SEEN in Journalism is promoting the article too, with some lovely words about the auditors:

https://nitter.net/JournalismSEEN/status/2004788120001360042#m

And here:

I don't understand how they think this is supposed to work.

The mind boggles at how they apply the law in other areas of the trust.

Massive congratulations to all the auditors. This is such a fantastic achievement.

Thanks @TwoLoonsAndASprout good to see the audit results being pushed more widely. SEEN in Journalism is one of my favourite podcasts.

This is wonderful!

This is fantastic! Well done everyone

Another follow up in the Daily Mail:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15417161/amp/NHS-Supreme-Court-trans-patients-single-sex-spaces-hospitals.html

https://archive.is/JNruG

Great stuff. Ties in beautifully with the Times piece this morning - Phillipson again criticised for dithering and trying to undermine FWS, and Maya and MAS insisting the guidance is completely legally sound so follow the law, or change it: https://archive.ph/lgkL2

Now who's going to be the first outlet to use it data, explicitly tie it all together and put Phillipson or Starmer on the spot...?

Oh yes!

We need to get an interactive map up and running so all the data is freely accessible to anyone who is interested…

Ooh I’ll need to thank them for the shout out!
how lovely 🥰

Hello! Long time no post...

Just popping in to say - please do follow SEENinHealth's social media posts over the next wee while.

X via Nitter here: https://nitter.net/SEENinHealth

Following on from the Darlington Nurses ET results, they will be posting extracts from our England audit. Not sure how many but please do comment and share etc

Excellent info and well done all

Great to hear. You wims have done a fantastic job here.

First couple of crackers here:

NHS Policy in Darlington quoted out in public:

https://nitter.net/SEENinHealth/status/2012600811801719107#m

18h
🚨 ALERT: Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber NHS FT (RDaSH) policy states that: ➡️ “Trans people are entitled to use single-sex facilities in accordance with their gender.” ➡️ “It is not acceptable to expect an individual who is transitioning to use facilities designated for use by those of their birth gender.”  This directly conflicts with the Equality Act 2010 as interpreted in recent Supreme Court and EHRC guidance on single-sex spaces — meaning such policy risks unlawful sex discrimination against women. Public services must comply with the law, not override it by policy. NHS employers must urgently revise these provisions. #EqualityAct #SexDiscrimination

And @GreenAllOver crefit to your sterling research on the historical records:

https://nitter.net/SEENinHealth/status/2012808423033696760#m

4h
We ask: why is the Chief Nursing Officer providing legal advice to the board of NHS England? 🛑 Do you feel that the rights, safety, and dignity of all staff are an irritation, unworthy of your attention and priority? 📢 Where is your acknowledgement and apology to all staff that they have been misled about their equality rights in the workplace?

https://nitter.net/SEENinHealth/status/2012981437914284092#m
4h

ALERT: WE have been advised that University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust policy C64 instructs staff to:
❌Place patients on wards matching gender identity,
❌Accommodate people by presentation (dress, name, pronouns),
❌Ignore sex characteristics,
❌Apply this to wards, toilets and bathing facilities

This directly conflicts with the Equality Act 2010 and recent case law — including the Darlington nurses ruling and Sandie Peggie ruling — which confirm that sex-based spaces are lawful and that denying them amounts to sex discrimination.

The NHS cannot override the law by policy. @UHNM_UHS must withdraw this guidance.

The Telegraph article has this:

"A government spokesman said: “We have always supported the protection of single-sex spaces based on biological sex. "

FFS!

"We have always been at war with eastasia"

A government spokesman said: “We have always supported the protection of single-sex spaces based on biological sex. However, we don't know what 'biological' sex is, we only recognise gender identity."

Fixed that statement for them.

Morning all

Doing some further digging into the campaigning organisations behind the woeful NHS policies and came across the linked EHRC consultation response from Hart Gables (operating in the North East). We still have a v.v.v.v.v.v long way to go to counter this sort of garbage:

"We are unclear about the intended meaning of terms such as ‘biological sex’, ‘sex at birth’, and ‘birth sex’. While we understand this terminology is drawn from the recent Supreme Court ruling, it remains ambiguous. Specifically, it is unclear whether ‘biological sex’ refers to chromosomes, genitalia (external and/or internal), hormonal profile, or some combination of these factors, and what, if any, definitive criteria are being used."

And
"We cannot find sufficient information in the draft policy on how services are expected to objectively determine someone’s birth sex, or what would constitute a ‘genuine concern’ about the accuracy of someone’s response to a question about ‘biological sex’. There is no reliable way to determine birth sex by sight. Human bodies vary widely in terms of primary and secondary sex characteristics, and individuals, whether trans or not, express their gender in diverse ways. Assessing someone’s sex based on visual cues such as facial hair, voice pitch, height, or shoe size is inherently subjective. Given the natural diversity among cisgender women, we believe this approach is not only unreliable but also deeply sexist. It also risks placing trans people in humiliating and invasive situations, compromising their dignity and sense of safety."

Hmm... an oversight not to mention "cis" men? or could this organisation be deeply sexist? I can't decide. There are 23 pages of this and I confess I have not read them all ...

Click on the link to the pdf consultation response on the linked page to read the whole bat shit crazy thing if you want to raise your blood pressure
https://www.hartgables.org.uk/response-ehrc-consultation

You are right about blood pressure.

Who writes that slop?

About 99.9% of us have no difficulty in determining someone's sex. The rare exceptions are those with DSDs.

They can't define sex, or biology but appear to have no problem with the word gender.

Today, following the tweets from SEEN in Health, the trans related policy page on the website for Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber NHS FT (RDaSH) is unavailable. I wonder how it will be rewritten.

The CEO wears a progress pride badge, this YouTube video of him is from 4 days ago. It is his choice, though I would prefer NHS staff did not wear any lanyards, badges etc when they are at work. He appears to be addressing mainly his staff in this video, so this makes it known to them where his sympathies lie, regardless of any instructions he might have to issue regarding policies.