NHS Fife tries to silence nurse - Sandie Peggie vs NHS Fife Health Board and Dr Beth Upton - thread #51

[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 resumed 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 #50 can be found in this thread: mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5379717-sandie-peggie-list-of-threads-covering-employment-tribunal-and-afterwards

Thread 50: mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5387893-nhs-fife-tries-to-silence-nurse-sandie-peggie-vs-nhs-fife-health-board-and-dr-beth-upton-thread-50 7 August 2025 to 1 September 2025

from herald
10:10am
We're in the middle of Ms Russell's submission, the judge says, so we are continuing with this and the additional information will be considered over a break.
10:09am
That's the hearing underway. Naomi Cunningham has jumped in to say an application was made by Jane Russell late last night.
She says Ms Russell should only be able to discuss this within her alloted argument time.
Ms Russell wants to complete her closing remarks before setting out an application to amend.
The KC needs an hour to continue her closing argument and approximately 10 to 15 minutes to address the email she sent last night.
Employment Judge Sandy Kemp asks if it can be done through written submissions.
Ms Cunningham says this will increase the "inevitable" prejudice to the claimant Sandie Peggie.

From TT

been tightly timetabled, it's been going on for months, this matter should have been raised then. I ask you to mitigate prejudice now.

J - I don't think that's fair, we timetabled time for subs, I can't see that 15 minutes is going to make a big difference.

JR - can I begin

Judge laying out how today is going to run.

It tells you when you first sign in iirc - there’s a little thing at the top with your room number

Check your original email granting you access to observe. Possibly in the title.

WTAF JR! 😡

from herald
10:13am
Ms Cunningham says Ms Russell's argument time should be cut to 45 minutes.
She argues that it wouldn't be ideal to come back for an additional day given how long this tribunal has gone already.
She's asking the judge to mitigate the prejudice to Sandy Peggie.
Kemp says it wouldn't be fair to restrict Ms Russell's time any further.

Big Sond: Not in Scotland!

NC just got a "not in Scotland" from the judge

The judge has left the room

Trying to sort microphones.

Big Sond leaves the room. Maybe never to be seen again..

He’s having a scream in his chambers

From TT

NC - I assume my right of reply comes last,

J - order: JR subs, application, response, we will see if we can make a decision, continue with questions and see what we have time to do

NC - my understanding is that it is normal for the party having the case to prove to have last

The judge has re-entered the room

Big song saying its been 7 months what's 15 minutes more eh

Judge, don't do this to us. One hour AND 15 MORE MINUTES OF LISTENING TO JR?! 😩😩😩

JR is on slow slow slow mode today

Still extremely choppy sound

Room 6 sound is bad too, though the judge sounds clearer.

How on earth can new stuff be introduced now??

I knew a man called Hilary & there's Hilary Benn MP (is he still?). And there was a male writer called Beverly Nichols. And ... Sydney was once a girls' name.

We can't pay too much attention to names.

"NC - I suggest that you litigate the prejudice to the C by limiting JR's time for subs to 45 minutes,"

Too bloody right!

Do I win a Tunnocks wafer for guessing JR would push it? I mean I know we all know she would, I just want an excuse to gorge on caramel wafers 😂

Same. Sound is terrible and I am using a decentish tv as extended screen/audio.

Apparently Linehan has been arrested at the airport on return to UK. Hospitalised with v high blood pressure. Over 200. For tweeting..

https://grahamlinehan.substack.com/p/i-just-got-arrested-again

The poor sound makes JR sound a bit Gollum-like!

See, I do think that fashion and presentation choices are deeply interesting because they communicate quite a bit about how people are presenting themselves. You can be fashionable, sexual, professional, contextually pragmatic, mainstream, demonstrate allegiance to a subculture, make it clear you don’t care what anyone else thinks, etc etc - I don’t think presentation is ever completely neutral.

An angelic white suit is a choice, as my kids would say.

"J - I don't think that's fair, we timetabled time for subs, I can't see that 15 minutes is going to make a big difference."

Not fair my arse, and like she's going to limit herself to 15 mins! Catch yoursel on Big Sond!

i'm not confident this judge will come to the right conclusion, we may yet see an appeal stage, or more.