"Darlington Nurses" vs County Durham and Darlington NHS Trust Tribunal Thread 4

[ThreeWordHarpy]

Thread 1, 7-Oct to 23-Oct; pre-hearing discussion, KD (day 1 of evidence) and BH (day 2).
Thread 2, 23-Oct to 28-Oct; BH (day 2), CH, JP, MG (day 3&4), TH, SS, ST, LL (day 4), JS, AT (day 5)
Thread 3, 28-Oct to 29-Oct, AT (day 5&6), TA (day 6)

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. The hearing started on October 20th, with evidence starting on October 22nd and is scheduled to last 3 weeks. To view the hearing online requests for access had to be made by October 17th. The hearing is being live tweeted by Tribunal Tweets who have background to this case on their substack. An alternative to X is to use Nitter: nitter.net/tribunaltweets or nitter.poast.org/tribunaltweets

The Judge made clear at the start of the public hearing on Day 1 that only TT or press have permission to tweet. If online observers see/hear something in the court that isn’t reported by TT, we don’t mention it until the next time there’s a break. This is a very cautious approach to avoid any accusations of “live reporting” on MN. Commentary on the content of TT tweets is fine as soon as they’re posted on X.

Key people:
C/Ns - Claimants, the Darlington nurses
R/T/Trust - Respondent, County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust
J/EJ – Judge/Employment Judge Seamus Sweeney
NF - Niazi Fetto KC, barrister for claimants
SC - Simon Cheetham, KC, barrister for respondents
RH - Rose Henderson, trans identifying nurse
CG – Clare Gregory, ward manager
SW - Sue Williams, NHS Trust HR
KD – Karen Danson, first claimant to give evidence.
BH – Bethany Hutchison, claimant
AH – Alistair Hutchison, husband of Bethany
CH – Carly Hoy, claimant
JP – Jane Peveller, claimant
MG – Mary Anne (aka Annice) Grundy, claimant
TH – Tracy Hooper, claimant
SS – Siobhan Sinclair, witness for the claimants, retired from Trust
ST – Sharron Trevarrow, witness for the claimants, retired from Trust, former housekeeper and wellbeing officer
LL – Lisa Lockey, claimant
JP – Professor Jo Phoenix, expert witness
JS – Jane Shields, witness for the claimants
AT - Andrew Thacker, witness for the respondents, NHS trust Head of HR
TA – Tracy Atkinson, witness for the respondents, NHS trust HR.

I have to revise my job application so won't be pasting this morning. Hopefully I will have time this afternoon.

Briefly let in, then immediately kicked out again.
WFTCHTJ again.

MyrtleLion
You need to recover from a serious infection. It's bad enough that you are having to do job applications. You have been an absolute trouper with the copying and pasting from TT, but you must rest. Look out of the window, listen to music, pet your cat/dog and have your DH bring you tea/coffee and Tunnocks. Rest.

This is an order.

Yesterday the only press that I could see live watching the trial was the BBC. Today we have the BBC, Northern Echo and Press Association, so it should be more widely disseminated.

He has walked back from that though, hasn’t he? He admitted publicly that he got it wrong, and has declared his support for the Darlington nurses. I don’t fully trust him - he is a politician, after all - but a politician that can apologise for previous failures at least has my interest.

Niazi Fetto KC, barrister for the claimants.

While Streeting is possibly navigating his way to sanity triggering abuse and potential violence from trans activists, showing him that he will be welcome to the side of sex realism is sensible.

Urgh just saw Andrew Moore wipe his nose along his suit sleeve, look at it then wipe the sleeve with his other hand, 😱

I miss who I was before I read this. Gag.

Seconded.

Straight in to JB confirming that a transwoman's entitlement to enter women's single-sex spaces is on the basis of the barest self-ID imaginable.

He was, but I think it was before genderwoo took it over - there was a time when Stonewall was both respected and necessary, when dinosaurs walked the earth - oh no wait, that's us, and we're still walking the earth, with a bit of a swagger these days😁

From TT
[This is Jillian Bailey giving evidence]

SC - In policy can you turn to p84. You recall ref to sentence under 'Process' 'begins they inform' keeping this in mind, turn to p91

SC - you have section App2 Guide to Mgrs and employees
If there is emp who is considering transit. Who talk to
JB line manager

SC - 'issues that might be considered...agreeing the point' Is that something discussed?
JB yes at which point they would commence using gender neutral or single sex

I think we may have a true believer with this witness.

From TT:

SC - at what point is that emp entitled to use
JB when the individual is living life fully in that gender.
SC thank you

NF does policy ask what that form that declaration would take? More to it than saying to line manager
JB changing records and suchlike think it's mentioned in policy.
NF not asking to speculate
JB - declaration to line mgr

NF 'living life in gender' is this anywhere in policy
JB no. May be diff for diff people
NF - You report to Mr Moore, you joined in 2003. 2010 diversity lead. Your statement change in title and role, were you responsible for it between 2010 and 2022.
JB - no

From TT:

NF - para 2 your statement
JB I was um appointed into role in April 2010 and role finished 2016 when I took on diff role, Learning
NF when EDI Role
JB Nov 22 Workforce Exp Manager

NF replacement post for Pat Winter who wrote policy.
Alex O'Brien appointed when PW retired

I have no idea what is happening 😁

It's a version of this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who%27s_on_First%3F

Concerns and policy, obviously!

It's been daily in the Newcastle Chronicle, fairly neutral tone, too. They're usually pronoun crazy, a recent one was the scumbag, who put his shitty nappies on the milk bottles at a South Shields nursery.

It was all she / her and poor lamb struggling in prison.

From TT

J does that relate to your post
JB I manage Alex O'brien not managed previously by person before me. Change in structure Andrew made when post became vacant

NF - layers in hierarchy. Mr Moore, then you, then AO and I hadn't understood before that Miss Winter level
JB yes in same post. When Alex appointed they were same. Alex and Pat. So, AM managed Pat.
J - my bad!
SC sorry Mrs Bailey [clarifies structure]

NF sorry above not SC

There has definitely been a change in tone in the reporting. Even the BBC is much more measured. Slowly but surely....

From TT:

NF - Polices - to oversee what does that mean
JB sometimes Alex will update policies, sometimes update one sometimes I would but I would oversee if Alex updated, I would check updates he was doing
NF what would trigger

JB normally when they expire, sometimes updated if there is other things, legal changes
NF who looks out for those
JB anyone in team

NF anyone's job to look for legal update
JB we would all keep up to date with changes that are happening
NF anything that would prompt you to look at policy ahead of time, on urgent basis
JB um - if was mistake that would potentially need to trigger change

First impressions are that she's not too bright