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’s what I thought, AI gave me age an d.o.b. Would be extraordinarily old in that job, and she looks much younger. Picture in the attic or mistaken identity

According to her LinkedIn she started as a Graduate Finance Trainee in 1993, so unless she did a lot of stuff between being born and then that isn't mentioned, she isn't anywhere close to 60 yet. ETA began an undergraduate degree at Abertay in 1988, so yeah, not close to 60.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/carol-p-78121418a/details/experience/

AI is shit like that.

I Googled someone the other day and AI confidently told me the person's job, which I knew, and also that he'd lived in a particular place for 40 years where he had worked in a completely different field. It had found two people with the same name and smooshed them together.

My first thought was, looks more like 58.

It is being said everywhere that she has been with NHS for "more than thirty years", which I'd suggest makes her age in the fifties rather than sixties.

It’s probably 6 months’ notice for somebody so far up the foodchain in the health service.

I suspect that she won’t be approving any disciplinaries in the interim.

IIRC, both sides were to get the judgement a week before release. Her resignation seems a great sign to me

If SP is successful, I wonder if Dr Upton might appeal?

She can't have been appointed as CEO at 73, surely?

Why on earth would.you use AI for that?

Please at least announce that you're posting AI nonsense when you do so, rather than presenting it as fact.

Mistaken identity. There's an actress called Carol Potter who was born in 1948, but I can't believe this Carol Potter is even close to retirement age.

I am sure he will try to if she is. The man cannot accept being denied or refused anything, especially his 'truth'. But I wonder how that will go with NHS Fife being named too. There were issues with Upton and Fife having the same representative during the tribunal, which is not a typical arrangement because what is in the interest of one respondent may not be in the interest of the other. So hard to see how Jane Russell could do her duty for both parties. If one of the respondents wants to appeal, they don't need the agreement of the other, so this may not go away as fast as some parties may like.

If she started as a Graduate Trainee in 1993 it would suggest that she was born in 1971 so will turn 55 some time next year. I don't know about the NHS but 55 used to be the earliest age that Civil Servants could take early retirement. So she would have been around 50 when appointed CEO.

A prize scalp for Dr Upton if it really is related. I wonder just how many of them involved really think he is worth sacrificing their careers for?

@ProfessorTRex does Upton have the financial means to appeal? I have no idea how much it would cost to appeal but as far as I'm aware, NHS Fife have been paying for everything so far. I haven't been following this case recently and need to catch up. Have the GLP or similar promised to fund an appeal if he's unsuccessful?

OK - my bet is a decision by Friday

Have the GLP or similar promised to fund an appeal if he's unsuccessful?

Er, I don't think that's really their business model!

Making wild promises they can't keep based on flimsy evidence seems exactly their business model! But no, I don't think they have. However Upton was able to get several k in his the Crowdfunder his supporters set up for him so he could possibly fund it that way if mummy and daddy won't bankroll him.

I can see DrU being funded by his union.

DD informs me that AI reckons my net worth is £10m. I can tell you that is absolutely not the case - sadly

It's one thing him getting a "love and treats" fund that was launched at the time he was so brave and inspiring showing his face on the way in to court. It would be quite an ask after the Sixth Best Option Major Google Incident, wouldn't it? He's known for having lied to colleagues and put his counsel in a ludicrous position having to act for him. I would have thought GLP Jo to be a bit too self-absorbed himself to take on a case like Upton?

I thought Jolyon was famous for taking on cases and subsequently losing

Yes, he is, but that hasn't stopped him, has it. If people will fund it (other people), he'll be there.

I am with you on this. I think Fife heard the news on Friday and took the weekend before they allowed the Comms team out of the basement changing room that they have been locked in as a precaution every weekend since the infamous press release.

I'd be surprised if a Union funded this. Then again I'm often surprised. I'm thinking crowdfunders/go fund me more likely

Ah I think I understand what you meant now. The GLP don't fund anything themselves. They get other people to donate.

Taking on, yes - not for funding them.

The GLP cash flow appears to be very much the other way.