"Darlington Nurses" vs County Durham and Darlington NHS Trust Tribunal Thread 5

[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&7)
Thread 4, 29-Oct to 31-Oct, TA, AM (day 7) JB (day 8)

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, NHS trust Head of HR
TA – Tracy Atkinson, NHS trust HR.
AM – Andrew Moore, NHS Head of Workforce Experience
JB – Jillian Bailey, NHS Workforce Experience Manager

Not just lesbians, but, ‘lesbians’.

Can’t someone tell me what lies she was caught out about, No apparent to me

thanks

I think Rose knows it's not in his big hairy interests to show up. And the Trust will have agreed with that

His name wasn’t mentioned for the list of witnesses.

It's not just the staff. Wainwright will have influence over the treatment of patients in the hospital/theatre.

What would happen if a female patient asked not to have Rose be involved in any specific aspects of their treatment?

There was no mention of RH in the witnesses scheduled for next week who were Watson, Telford(sp?) and Williams. Plus Jo Phoenix who may now do it remotely. Submissions the following Monday.

It doesn't look like it. SC probably thinks the hole is big enough without more digging.

Spare a thought for those NHS folk sharing, at this very moment, a car or maybe a minibus. Be kind. 😉

Remember, NHS guidance is to lie about sex of patients and assure others in ward that they are female. I'd assume the same would apply to the staff. So reassuring...

The line of questioning about how the team all changes together really made RH's being in the changing room at other times stand out and look very suspicious. You can bet he was on his best behaviour when aunt Lydia was about, then parading up and down in his holey boxers when he was alone with a single woman.

Yuck.

She was asked about the surgery issue, and NF started ‘you knew KD had made a complaint’ and she, wide eyed, said ‘no, I didn’t’.

Then he read an email where she’d said she was so angry at KD, about what she had asked, and then there was mention of the court case.

So… yeah.

Edit: Oh yeah, then after cross had finished she said ‘can I just say, KDs statement has a lot of untruths’

Just after she was caught out lying.

And judge was like ‘Err, time for a break’

Were they biological lesbians or the ones with P0enises?

I reckon they're in the pub, ties and bows loosened, each trying to claim it all is going fine and wondering if the next witness will take their place under the bus.

They will then get the taxi of sadtimes home.

I was supposed to be out mid-afternoon and the start of TW's evidence had me reaching for my coat but I decided to stay in case something surprising happened.

Look how that turned out.

When the trick and treaters arrive at TW's door later the becostumed ones won't be the scary fiends in the scenario.

It would be mean of me to hope an errant teenager eggs her house.

All the ‘we were trying to protect Rose, everyone was so concerned for Rose, it was so difficult for Rose’ is giving me strong’ I am a KIND PERSON’ Upton-style vibes.

"Taxi of sadtimes home"
Snort 😂😂😂

Netto said Karen came to you to ask about accomodations for her gynae surgery, and you knew she was one of the claimants / authors of the letter.

Oh no I didn't says TW.

Fetto says please read from your statement.

NF [reads I cant believe what I was asked and was angry. KD mentions the court case]

TW Yes

NF U were angry as u thought she was challenging about the F CR

TW That's not true

NF I have no further Qs

TW Can I just say. There's a lot of untruth in this statement by KD

So she says she didn't know, she gets caught in a lie by her witness statement. She then deflects suggesting Karen was telling lies galore.

I cannot imagine that will go down well with the Tribunal.

Perhaps they are the nice ones with peonies 🌺

She also said something about ‘the whole theatre team being angry with the other team’

So I think she made the case for a hostile working environment pretty clear.

I’m sure she walked out thinking ‘that told him. Hmmmh’

Was it my imagination or, when TW was getting into her stride, did I hear an exclamation of protest by a woman in the hearing room?

Did she really do finger quotes when she said lesbians?

Yes

I suspect the trust's actions were guided by more traditional understandings:

• Never hurt a male ego.

• Women's role is to support men.

So were they not lesbians?

I used to go to school with a young lad (not an Andrew) who would go into his own world during lessons and would dribble onto his desk top and draw things with the pool of drool.

I cannot think why I thought of him whenever I looked at AM.