NHS Fife tries to silence nurse - Sandie Peggie vs NHS Fife Health Board and Dr Beth Upton - thread #31

[nauticant]

Sandie Peggie, a nurse at Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy (VH), has brought claims in the employment tribunal against her employer; Fife Health Board (the Board) and another employee, Dr B Upton. Ms Peggie’s claims are of sexual harassment, harassment related to a protected belief, indirect discrimination and victimisation. Dr Upton claims to be a transwoman, that is observed as male at birth but asserting a female gender identity.

The Employment Tribunal hearing started on Monday 3 February 2025 and was expected to last 2 weeks. However, after 2 weeks it was not complete and it adjourned part-heard. It resumed on 16 July and the last day of evidence will be 28 July and then there will be 2 days of submissions from counsel meaning that the hearing will end on 30 July.

The hearing commenced with Sandie Peggie giving evidence. Dr Beth Upton gave evidence from Thursday 6 February to Wednesday 12 February.
Access to view the hearing remotely was obtainable by sending an email request to [email protected] by 5pm on Wednesday 9 July. Detailed instructions were provided here:

drive.google.com/file/d/16-9POEZ7yHWUr6EmbfquJZO18Gv78bSm/view

The hearing is being live tweeted by x.com/tribunaltweets and there's additional information here: tribunaltweets.substack.com/p/peggie-vs-fife-health-board-and-dr-005. This also has threadreaderapp archives of live-tweeting of the sessions of the hearing for those who can't follow on Twitter, for example: archive.ph/WSSjg.

An alternative to Twitter is to use Nitter: nitter.net/tribunaltweets or nitter.poast.org/tribunaltweets

Links to previous threads #1 to #29 can be found in the header of thread #30, found here: mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5375337-nhs-fife-tries-to-silence-nurse-sandie-peggie-vs-nhs-fife-health-board-and-dr-beth-upton-thread-30

Well done, Fife. Another great job.

On that note, everyone have a great weekend. See you Monday.

Honestly, what were they thinking? Who comments on an ongoing legal hearing where they are a key participant? And the fact that the barrister they are paying to defend them didn't seem to know this was coming?! I wouldn't be surprised if the order submitted on Monday is a request from her to be removed from the case on the grounds that NHS Fife (her own client) are impossible to defend.

I just cannot get my head around who must have thought that was a good idea.

They seem to be criticising the judge for ruling that TT could live tweet and criticising the ruling that the public can view the proceedings. Surely if they want it reexamined it should be dealt with in private, not like this. If I was the judge I'd be really pissed off

Get your chromosomes tested in advice. I think they will take that given they are clearly unsure up in NHS Fife. It does make you concerned about the level of competency and take lots of notes.

Absolutely cream crackered aye. I'm meant to be doing a kit check and getting tae ma bed.

I'm up at 2.30am to go and be safety kayak for a big sponsored swim across a significant and slightly dangerous piece of water.

The bottom line is, despite all that’s been uncovered through this process, NHSF seem uniquely confident they have done nothing wrong. It’s almost as though they think the evidence from the bundle/disclosure/witnesses is slanted against them (presumably by SP’s legal team) & we’re all just not getting the context.

This is a mad/bonkers statement IMO. I’d love to know who wrote it, and how many layers of management it went through for approval.

comms team trying to distract attention from the shit show of testimony from this afternoon

In reality there is no basis for that feeling (of feeling unsafe)

irony

In the context of what has happened, SP's team may apply for some kind of order. It is for them to consider what that order should be. At this stage we have no idea. They may ask for an order telling Fife to remove the statement, or to put a response alongside it, or something else.

I assume there is a high chance that threats have been made against IB?
Those headlines about not knowing her own sex and the TRAs objections to her not being enough of an ally were more controversial than the Schrodinger's Risk Assessment stuff of yesterday?

She's spent too much time in the company of genderist loonies and has caught the attitude off them.

I've read some tweets that think this is NHS Fife muddying the field so that they will force the rest to be heared in private.

Probably because it's been an absolute car crash for them so far and they know how they are coming across - badly!!

The Firth of Forth?

Surely we'll know based on what changing room it goes into?

Wine possibly

Their own evidence is making them feel unsafe.

I've just opened the fizz
<passes glasses out> 🍾

May you have a wonderful day and all your sponsored swimmers cross safely!

Surely if my boss were so stupid as to say "you are sacked because you are not trans / not married" that would be as open and shut case as if they said "you are sacked because you are trans / married"?

The sheer fucking arrogance that they think the public cannot see for themselves how appalling Fife have behaved. No, it has to be those nasty right wing funded wimmin folk causing trouble.

Any press officer will tell you, never release a statement at 4pm on a Friday because it will just make the punters suspicious.

But releasing a statement at 4pm on a Friday in the middle of a very high profile tribunal just boggles my mind.

I know there are a lot of public sector bodies in Scotland that are incompetently run, but serious question: is NHS Fife the worst of them? Because on current evidence, a management team of drunken chimps would do better.

Fife are accusing SM of trying to steer public opinion? What was their witness's line about controlling people the other day?

Christ, I think I'd rather be cross examined by NC than that!

I've just had my weekly Sex Matters email. Maya explains the origins of their involvement:

Sandie’s story has been splashed across the national news since February, when the tribunal began. But I first heard about it a year before that, in January 2024, when Neale Hanvey, then MP for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath and a member of Sex Matters’ advisory group, sent Sex Matters a message. “Hi folks, I have a constituent who has been a staff nurse in our local A&E for over 20 years. She has been suspended for requesting privacy in the changing room. She’s premenopausal and found herself in a bit of a bind. A doctor who is a trans-identifying man refused to give her privacy and claimed her request was bullying. Many colleagues share her concerns, but are too frightened to say anything. Looks like her employer is misinformed of the law and her union RCN appears to be offering very weak support.”
Sandie spoke to me two days later and told me the shocking story.

We were speculating about this a few threads ago.

Maya Forstater’s response to the statement:

https://x.com/sexmattersorg/status/1946235153665151331?s=46

“Image text: "“This is an extraordinary intervention from NHS Fife, even by the board’s standards.

NHS Fife has dug itself into a reputational black hole. If the only way forward the board can see is to lash out, including by criticising Sex Matters, which has at all times acted with propriety and in pursuit of its charitable objects, that suggests desperation.”
Maya Forstater, CEO"