NHS Fife tries to silence nurse - Sandie Peggie vs NHS Fife Health Board and Dr Beth Upton - thread #54

[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].

The hearing was 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 51: mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5402652-nhs-fife-tries-to-silence-nurse-sandie-peggie-vs-nhs-fife-health-board-and-dr-beth-upton-thread-51 1 September 2025 to 2 September 2025
Thread 52: mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5403218-nhs-fife-tries-to-silence-nurse-sandie-peggie-vs-nhs-fife-health-board-and-dr-beth-upton-thread-52 2 September 2025 to 4 September 2025
Thread 53: mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5404208-nhs-fife-tries-to-silence-nurse-sandie-peggie-vs-nhs-fife-health-board-and-dr-beth-upton-thread-53 from 3 September

That is the vibe I’m getting.

First thing that crossed my mind!

Let’s hope so!

Will she come in for severe criticism, for allowing all this to happen?

I assume if NHS Fife had won their case at the tribunal she wouldn't need to take early retirement, so it does look hopeful. But I shan't be breaking out the single malt until it's a stone cold certainty that they haven't.

At that point mine will be a Glenmorangie. Or several, over an evening.

Imagine being NC this week

Terfs work quickly

archive.ph/Eo9vq

The chances of this being a complete coincidence in no way related to Sandie Peggie's tribunal seem very small. Reads that both parties have had their advanced view of the ruling in my opinion.

Oh please, please let us find out soon!!

I think her departure was inevitable. It's a shame for their families, but it otherwise seems fitting that the turbulence and uncertainty over how the new CEO will handle the fallout (and the new cases) will give Searle, Currer, Davidson and the other one, a very unmerry start to the New Year, not unlike they gave to Sandie two years ago.

Sad times for Dr Upton seem very likely too :/

But wouldn't it be better if she did a Tim Davie and took accountability, and said that the buck stops with her. Taking retirement with no acknowledgement of the fiasco is such a cop out.

She needs to take whoever wrote the 5000 versions of the press statement with her.

BBC report carefully omits Dr Upton's male sex when describing SP case.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgmrg71r0eo?

Ms Peggie, a nurse working for NHS Fife, took the health board and Dr Beth Upton to a tribunal earlier this year, claiming that being made to get changed beside her transgender colleague amounted to unlawful harassment under the Equality Act.

She was suspended after she complained about Dr Upton using the female changing rooms in a Kirkcaldy hospital's A&E department.

At the time, NHS guidance said that transgender men and women were allowed to use the changing rooms that aligned with their declared gender identity.

This will be the outcome she has been hanging on for. That she gets to walk away with an enhanced pension just seems to signal that the rot goes much deeper and this is the Sixth Best Option that covers over others' sins.

Edited - BBC report posted upthread

Interesting point. She could probably do a lot of damage on the way out if she wanted to. Maybe she's being allowed to retire early in return for going quietly.

Pfft. What would that accountability look like? Unless they are sacked with loss of pension it’s meaningless - a load of measly words, expressions of sympathy for all, new procedures and policies blah blah.
If they are old enough for early retirement to be a possibility they will always take that. Maybe on medical grounds (stress) or taking extended leave (stress) until they cross the age barrier. If younger - well all these people seem to waltz into another similar role at a higher grade/pay scale without difficulty. Maybe lie low for a while (extended leave for stress) til the heat dies down, then off they go again.

I was involved in a situation where someone was allowed to walk away with their full pension because it was going to cost their employer more money than it was worth to go to court. It was obvious that they were at fault, but they were prepared to take things beyond their professional body.

Fife NHS has already haemorrhaged enough money. They can't afford to lose more.

when is she actually leaving? now? or is it an announcement that she will be leaving some point in the future?

https://www.nhsfife.org/news-updates/latest-news/2025/11/nhs-fife-chief-executive-carol-potter-announces-retirement/

Summer 2026.

She seems to be 78, so a pretty bloodless sacrifice IMO

Really - I'd be surprised if she's 60

There's plenty of opportunity for a new board to push her out before then if it wanted to. She doesn't need to be paid the respect of being able to jump on her own timetable.

Very true, which is why I think this might be a deal.

Where'd you find that? I couldn't see any public age and she's done a deal with the devil I want in on if she's 78.