"Darlington Nurses" vs County Durham and Darlington NHS Trust Tribunal Thread

[ThreeWordHarpy]

Five nurses working at Darlington Memorial Hospital have filed a legal case suing their employer, an NHS trust, for sexual harassment and sex discrimination. The nurses object to sharing the women’s changing facilities with a male colleague, “Rose”, who:

• identifies as female
• has not undergone any physical or hormonal transition and has full male genitalia
• has cited inclusivity policies
• is backed by the trust’s HR department
• has been granted access to a single-sex changing room for women.

The NHS trust’s HR department dismissed the nurses’ concerns, stating they should “broaden their mindset” and “be educated”. More details can be found at Sex Matters

The hearing is due to start on October 20th and is scheduled to last 3 weeks. To view the hearing online email: [email protected] [[email protected]] requesting remote access to the case of 2501192/2024 Hutchinson and others Vs County Durham and Darlington NHS Trust, starting 20th October. Also include your full name and your role in the hearing (eg member of the public or observer). Note, it is likely you will need the same full name and email address to log into the hearing, and the name will be visible to other observers.

The hearing will be live tweeted by https://x.com/tribunaltweets. An alternative to Twitter is to use Nitter: nitter.net/tribunaltweets or nitter.poast.org/tribunaltweets. Tribunal Tweets have more background to this case on their substack, including links to their coverage of the earlier hearings.

In earlier hearings reported at http://archive.today/nh5v9, the claimants were supported by the Christian Legal Centre and represented by Pavel Stroilov (solicitor) and Bruno Quentaville (barrister). The respondents were represented by Simon Cheetham KC. We do not know yet if the same representation will be in place for the October hearing

Background information from Christian Concern who are supporting the nurses via the CLC.

Still waiting for drugs from the pharmacy.

The staff asked if I was working and I said it was some voluntary work for a women's group. 😉

Darlington’s strategy seems to have been “engage theoretically, but kick it into the long grass” - it’s been two years after all. Plus threaten disciplinary where you can. The nurses taking this to the press and SoS has blown that out of the water. Question- is their policy currently to allow TW in women’s changing rooms? My understanding is they are taking a “waiting for guidelines” kick into the long grass approach again, so presumably yes, but is that correct?

Tyler

The enemy within

I appear to have been kicked out again! 😭

From TT

We are still waiting for the livestream from the Court to begin.

That happens automatically after 1 hour of WFTCHTJ.

As my dear old mum (87) says to me on a near daily basis "I'm glad I'm on my way out, but my heart breaks for what kind of world I'm leaving my granddaughters in"

Ive been eating my bun watching yesterday's Court of Appeal in Bailey. What a grilling! I'm feeling quite sorry for Stonewall's silk (the mauling doesn't mean Bailey will succeed, they do it to everyone)

@MyrtleLion curious if the nurses where you are aware of this tribunal?

My MIL was a nurse and has been following both Sandy Peggie and this one...I've been forwarding her links but she doesn't seem to trust anything that's not the Guardian or the BBC so I've been v grateful for the somewhat more even-handed reporting by the BBC at least, recently.

I wonder if SC's line towards BH today of ' you're making this about RH, not NHS policy' is laying the ground for them not calling RH.

New thread in time for this afternoon's session: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5432103-darlington-nurses-vs-county-durham-and-darlington-nhs-trust-tribunal-thread-2

I've just checked the ODP register to see if he's still on it - he's registered as 'Rosalie' Henderson currently. No record of us him under his previous name.

RH had the choice NOT to use the female changing room and request an alternative, that would have been a decent and reasonable thing to have done but then we are not dealing with decent and reasonable people in these cases where men are determined to force women to undress in front of them.

Theyre back

Interesting, as Upton had two records, do nurses' records work differently?

From TT

[The stream has resumed - I am not sure how much we have missed but BH is already being questioned]

I was knitting suffragette coloured boot cuffs and mentioned Sandie Peggie. Some smiles of acknowledgement.

From TT

SC: [ref] this is part of resolution procedure. You see it says staff can have accompanying colleague or union rep not in a legal capacity. In your WS you say 9/9 letter from Sue Williams invited you to meeting. [ref] here is that letter.

SC: As I understand, you say the refusal to allow solicitor, or, insistence that only TU rep / colleague allowed is harassment?
BH: Yes
SC: This letter is harassment?
BH: yes

SC: Are you saying you shd have been treated differently from anyone else, under the resolution procedure? Should have been allowed solicitor?
BH: Yes bcs of us being potential claimants / witensses in this case

SC: You said 'gain the upper hand'?
BH: Yes biassed, bcs SW present at all stages
SC: Am focussing only on this letter, and the representation allowed. You say shd have been a lawyer?

He is not a nurse but an Operating Department Practitioner (ODP).

https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/allied-health-professionals/roles-allied-health-professions/operating-department-practitioner

New thread over there:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5432103-darlington-nurses-vs-county-durham-and-darlington-nhs-trust-tribunal-thread-2

End

of

thread

Fin