NHS Fife tries to silence nurse - Sandie Peggie vs NHS Fife Health Board and Dr Beth Upton - thread #49

[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 was 29 July 2025. It will resume again over 1 to 2 September for closing submissions.

The hearing commenced with Sandie Peggie giving evidence. Dr Beth Upton gave evidence from Thursday 6 February to Wednesday 12 February 2025. Sandie Peggie returned to give more evidence on 29 July 2025.

Access to view the second part of 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 and tribunaltweets.substack.com/p/peggie-vs-fife-health-board-and-dr-bd6. 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 #40 can be found in this thread: mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5379717-sandie-peggie-list-of-threads-covering-employment-tribunal-and-afterwards

Thread 41: mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5379334-nhs-fife-tries-to-silence-nurse-sandie-peggie-vs-nhs-fife-health-board-and-dr-beth-upton-thread-41 24 July 2025 to 25 July 2025
Thread 42: mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5379820-nhs-fife-tries-to-silence-nurse-sandie-peggie-vs-nhs-fife-health-board-and-dr-beth-upton-thread-42 25 July 2025 to 25 July 2025
Thread 43: mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5379979-nhs-fife-tries-to-silence-nurse-sandie-peggie-vs-nhs-fife-health-board-and-dr-beth-upton-thread-43 25 July 2025 to 27 July 2025
Thread 44: mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5380196-nhs-fife-tries-to-silence-nurse-sandie-peggie-vs-nhs-fife-health-board-and-dr-beth-upton-thread-44 25 July 2025 to 28 July 2025
Thread 45: mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5381518-nhs-fife-tries-to-silence-nurse-sandie-peggie-vs-nhs-fife-health-board-and-dr-beth-upton-thread-45 28 July 2025 to 28 July 2025
Thread 46: mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5381640-nhs-fife-tries-to-silence-nurse-sandie-peggie-vs-nhs-fife-health-board-and-dr-beth-upton-thread-46 28 July 2025 to 29 July 2025
Thread 47: mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5382102-nhs-fife-tries-to-silence-nurse-sandie-peggie-vs-nhs-fife-health-board-and-dr-beth-upton-thread-47 29 July 2025 to 29 July 2025
Thread 48: mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5382317-nhs-fife-tries-to-silence-nurse-sandie-peggie-vs-nhs-fife-health-board-and-dr-beth-upton-thread-48 29 July 2025 to 31 July 2025

A standout from this for me is the lack of any sort of fairness or balance in how SP and DU were treated by NHS Fife at every stage.
The attitude and behaviour of KS typifies this. Her email that breached even basic confidentiality showed her as judge jury and executioner who had unilaterally taken these roles and had already pronounced the verdict. The use of 'condemn' in that mail says it all and removes any shred of partiality. I agree that her attitude towards DU is almost creepy.
JR's behaviour has frequently not been professional and her minimialising of the SC FWS decision is way off.
Finally I'd like to point out how the smear campaign the defence mounted against SP at the end comes straight from the playbook of one Nicola Sturgeon. Remember how she suggested that those who opposed her views on Gender recognition reform were
'deeply misogynist, often homophobic , possibly racist as well.'
In other words the hate bingo card was played against SP. After all a woman who objects to a man seeing her change/undress must be a fully paid up racist. The defence had to trawl over old group chats to try to prove it.
I wonder what dark and weird stuff would be forthcoming if DU's chat history were similarly examined.

I think it depends on what the employer's policy is. In my last job my post was opened, stamped with date received, and nicely flattened in my tray for me. The only time it wasn't was if the envelope had private / confidential on it.
In the NHS I'd expect post to be opened, scanned in etc before it gets to the consultant. A lot of it goes electronically now.
The real issue for Sandie was that they didn't send her the letter about her suspension I think.

A man my DH used to work with was found guilty of possessing more than 68,000 images last year, over 1000 of which should have got him over two years in prison, but he walked off with a two year community supervision order because his wife loves him and he's so misunderstood, to paraphrase the Judge. He was also prosecuted under his legal name, which is not the name he used either in his paid work or his charity work, or indeed at Companies House, so if you were to meet him and Google him, you wouldn't pick up that he's a paedophile.

I suspect she's terrified of being the next one in the firing line if she doesn't maintain her positionality. He's got a whole load of people running scared.

In my experience in the NHS post would never be opened in the post room. It would be quite inappropriate. Post generally is delivered to the relevant department secretary who pops it into labelled pigeon holes. Obviously most staff will have little post beyond a monthly pay slip & Trust newsletter.

@WannabeEDIOfficer 15.03

All the accidental misgendering from Upton's own side. Sorry, I know this is petty.

I don't think it is petty, I think it's important to show that even his fawners know the truth, no matter how much they think they're supporting him and his behaviour. And as they show they are supporting his lies they damage their own credibility, if they had any.

They show fitness status, but not old hearing info. on https://www.nmc.org.uk/concerns-nurses-midwives/hearings/hearings-sanctions/ it says
"We publish the most recent three months of outcomes. Older updates to the hearings pages are taken off our website because decisions can be changed."

What like Superman? Does he have a cape too?

Yes, it was the hearing and record of the sanction that I failed to find.
I know it’s sometimes quite surprising to see who spoke up to defend some people or to argue for a lighter sanction.

As per NNC Watch, the converse can be true.

https://x.com/ScotNational/status/1950921285896212792
https://archive.ph/Q4GwG

This opinion piece, by the SNP's Kelly Given in The National, is like an Omnicause bingo card. It also makes literally zero sense.

I'd love to see the comments below the article, but the ones on X are fairly... emphatic.

@nauticant thanks for all your energy and effort with these threads.

One of the things that hasn't been mentioned is the lack of support from her union.

Intelligent people making absolute fools of themselves with not knowing what sex they are.
Lies to cover up more lies and failings.

Why would personal mail be sent to the hospital department rather than to her house?

I loved the Scottish news work experience kid's headline ""I'm a biological woman", says biological man". Classic 🤣 🤣 🤣

Here's a rather good summing-up of what's gone on so far in the Critic:
https://thecritic.co.uk/sandie-peggie-and-the-struggle-for-single-sex-spaces/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

Exactly. He is a Superior Being ( except when he has to walk through the NHSFife carpark...that women have to walk through without a personal bodyguard).

The post room wouldn’t usually know that someone has been suspended due to confidentiality. Obviously this is Fifeland so all bets are off, but in a proper hospital it would go to a nominated individual - usually the line manager or HR and either posted home or opened if it was departmental mail.

Emphatic in a 'stfu with your mince, Kelly' way? Or in a 'transpeople are the most vulnerable to walk the planet evaaa' way?

A small sampling of the comments - I am unable to find any in support of Kelly's position

Replying to @ScotNational
You’re right, I can’t believe she punched down on that bloke, even though he was wearing a bra, by refusing to clean off her menstrual blood in front of him. What a bigot.

Replying to @ScotNational
What is it about the trans cult that thinks it's OK to enter female safe spaces? We all know it's about control and their fetish being in and around women's/children's toilets and changing rooms.

Replying to @ScotNational
The one's 'punching down' are NHS Fife (with help from sympathetic media ;) by trying to ruin a nurse with 30 year unblemished history because she didn't want to share a changing room with a transvestite.

Replying to @ScotNational
Is Kelly .... slow?

Replying to @ScotNational
Lol. Youre a wee bit late for the grift, Kelly. 10 years ago if you parroted every line given to you by the SNP you'd never have to worry about money ever again. Now the public see you grifters for what you are. You have zero values of your own, you will throw anyone under the 'gravy bus" so long as you get paid. Why was a Dr even in the nurses changing room in the first place?

etc.

I think a lot of cards of support (and no doubt some negative ones) have been sent to the hospital.

Try the nitter link to see the comments

The National (@ScotNational): "Whether it’s immigrants being blamed for job shortages, refugees accused of burdening the public purse, or now trans people 'infiltrating' women’s spaces to cause us harm, there’s always someone for a certain political class to punch down on, writes Kelly Given ✍️" | nitter

I could see the comments below the article. Most were as you expect, though I particularly liked the one which reminded us mean people how hard and fraught with painful medical interventions the road to trans happiness is. Seems the good doctor missed those pages when he read his How toWoman handbook and went straight to winsome smiles and manicures.

Sad that the writer was so busy slamming wrongthink for bringing down the Scottish Health Service that she forgot to wonder if employing medical and other senior staff who aren’t sure of the differences between men and women might also be a contributory factor, and one very easy to remedy.

What if documents from SP's counsel had been sent to her at the hospital?

Probably wouldn't happen but how would they know what they were opening (and reading)?

Ooft! Kelly being well and truly handed their arse there

Cracking 😆

@NebulousSadTimes love your username

Here's a second verse - somebody add a third!

I'm very well acquainted, too, with matters quite genetical,
I understand the X and Y, from views ideological,
About which gender theories I am teeming with a lot of news,
With many cheerful lies about the consequence of all those views.