"Darlington Nurses" vs County Durham and Darlington NHS Trust Tribunal Thread 7

[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)
Thread 5, 31-Oct to 04-Nov; JB (day 8), SW, CG, JR (day 9)
Thread 6, 04-Nov to 05-Nov; RH (day 10), SW (day 11)

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, NHS 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
AT – Anna Telfer, NHS Deputy Director of Nursing
SW – Sandra Watson, Matron for General and Elective Surgery
JR – Jodie Robinson, manager of Rose

It was a treat to read your report @JoPhoenix - such laser-focussed clarity! Thank you for everything you do for us women. I’m so glad it’s onwards and upwards for you after your awful experience ❤️

And here’s for my changing room anecdata. I had the misfortune of going to a co-educational boarding school, and looking back, it was excruciating going through puberty trapped in a kind of terrarium of other girls. We all knew exactly who had started their periods, kept track of each others’ boobs and body hair appearing, and were judged - and judging - constantly. I started shaving my legs at eleven, to my grandmother’s horror, just to try and avoid the shame of having any hair on my legs. There was no privacy and you didn’t go home at the end of the day to escape it. Any deviation from what was deemed acceptable and you were ridiculed or even shunned. This applies right down to what style of knickers you were wearing and sanitary products you were using.

The boys had to walk through a communal area to get to their rooms after showering, so in the morning you’d often encounter a wet boy in a towel as you were going to get some breakfast. I say boy, but some of them were technically men as the school taught up to age eighteen. I have no doubt some of the more gentle souls amongst the boys were also traumatised by this life too, as it really did feel like an unsafe environment - physically, mentally and emotionally. I could write a book about all the dodgy stuff that happened.

Now when I go to the gym and change in a lovely all-female environment (we haven’t been infiltrated, at least not yet) I often find myself scuttling into a cubicle as I still feel so exposed. I do try and change out in the open to try and get over it, but I find myself almost looking over my shoulder to see if anyone is watching me. Of course, they aren’t, but old habits die hard. I find myself wondering if I’m wearing the right kind of knickers still 😁

The last time I used a communal changing room in a shop was at least twenty years ago. I went in before Christmas in a rush to get a party top, and when I went to try it on (again, the horror) the changing room was packed, but I did find my voice and asked the mum who’d brought in a lad who looked about ten if she wouldn’t mind sending him outside.

@MassiveWordSalad I went to a single sex boarding school, so thankfully no boys about, but everything else you say sounds very familiar. Zero privacy, being judged all the time and no escape for weeks on end. I still dislike changing rooms and my privacy is extremely important to me.

I wouldn’t be holding my breath for change.

New CEO came from disbanded NHS England - twitter profile below

https://x.com/steve_r76

You forgot the single overarching rule that whoever shouts "Shotgun!" first gets to sit in the front passenger seat.

Note the pronouns.

I prefer to say that if I can't sit in the front then it's likely I'll throw up, which is actually true.

Where I live, a shout of "Shotgun" means that you need to duck sharpish if you are in any seat.

Also the argument used by my younger son. We have learned from bitter experience.

He does refer to ‘pregnant mums’ though…and the NHS make their employees state their pronouns don’t they?

My parents learned from bitter experience too.

We're a 'bagsie' family.

Account not used for over a year

It's disgusting if people are refusing to donate because of CC's involvement and not seeing the wider picture. It seems like a form of virtue signalling. 'I have my principles and I won't break them'.

Recognise what they're doing, not who they are.

On a practical level, maybe CC need to get the word out to a lot more Christians, who presumably wouldn't have a problem connection.

I read Jo Phoenix’s paper for the tribunal and was equally angry and sad that huge employers do not consider this. The fact they impose TITWP policies which have compelled woman to share intimate spaces with women is criminal. I hope that NHS Fife are severely punished and apologise unreservedly to Sandie Peggie and all the Darlington nurses and all female employees. They should sue them for this neglect. This should serve as a significant warning to all those employers who have imposed Stonewall policies and Stonewall “law”.

@Gymnopedie

On a practical level, maybe CC need to get the word out to a lot more Christians, who presumably wouldn't have a problem connection.

Unfortunately there's as broad a spectrum of attitudes within the churches towards this issue as there is in wider society. Christian Concern is seen as a very conservative organisation and plenty of more liberal, inclusive churches wouldn't want to associate with it. Shades of the Green Party versus the Tories.

I used to work with Steve, didn't think much of him and very pleased when he moved on.

@IvePiercedMyFootOnASpike (hope the foot is well now) the link to Christian Concern may mean it doesnt get tweeted as widely as it might otherwise. I dont use X so I dont know if they are tweeting people with lots of followers.

The case is also not getting as much press publicity as Sandie Peggie's case. It's also not as obviously one single working class nurse against an entitled doctor and supporting middle class establishment. It's also not the first such case.

The money goes to the solicitors, not to Christian Concern. They may need help if they face disciplinary action or if they want to go after their union. There isnt an obvious Christian belief link either - wanting privacy and not wanting men in changing rooms is not specifically a Christian belief. So I dont think Christians would see it as defending the faith,

Thanks dinosaur . I'n sure the nurses have a lot of support, but it'd be lovely to see the target reached.
The username is from an Alan Partridge episode 😂

The interim Chair of the Trust is apparently a lawyer. So you would hope that she will "strengthen leadership, culture and governance" by making them aware of the need to act within the law. The Trust have a problem with their breast cancer service https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwy0pwlgpn2o so they've been failing women/ not listening to women in more ways than one.

@IvePiercedMyFootOnASpike Ok, you can tell I'm not a fan. 😀

Absolutely @JoPhoenix
i had never really considered how we are, as women, reminded every day about our biology.
It’s not something men experience and they can never pretend to

Thankyou

Don't they realise that profiles like this with pronouns and rainbow glitter, just makes them look like idiots?
I mean, just who is going to take this guy seriously in that jacket?

Clearly hasn’t harmed his career in the NHS as CEO!

On his own private X account? I doubt it

I guess not but I still think he's am idiot 😂