NHS Fife tries to silence nurse - Sandie Peggie vs NHS Fife Health Board and Dr Beth Upton - thread #55

[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 3 September to 1 October 2025
Thread 54: mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5418690-nhs-fife-tries-to-silence-nurse-sandie-peggie-vs-nhs-fife-health-board-and-dr-beth-upton-thread-54 from 28 September 2025

Witnesses in the hearing with skeleton chronology:

Monday, 3 February 2025
Sandie Peggie

Tuesday, 4 February 2025
Sandie Peggie

Wedneday, 5 February 2025
Sandie Peggie
Maya Forstater
Darren Peggie (Sandie Peggie's husband)
Nicole Peggie (Sandie Peggie's daughter)

Thursday, 6 February 2025
a row about disclosure particularly over BMA documents
Sheila Bell (Sandie Peggie's mum)
Beth Upton

Friday, 7 February 2025
very late start, massive row over disclosure, agreed that Beth Upton would start giving evidence on Monday

Monday, 10 February 2025
Beth Upton

Tuesday, 11 February 2025
Beth Upton
collapse of public access

Wednesday, 12 February 2025
Beth Upton

Thursday, 13 February 2025
Esther Davidson

Friday, 14 February 2025
Esther Davidson

a break of many months

Wednesday, 16 July 2025
Isla Bumba

Thursday, 17 July 2025
Gillian Malone

Friday, 18 July 2025
Elspeth Pitt
Louise Curran
the omnishambles ending provided by the statement from NHS Fife

Monday, 21 July 2025
a late start seemingly with the panel and lawyers in discussions about something
Lottie Myles

Tuesday, 22 July 2025
another late start seemingly with the panel and lawyers in discussions about something
Kate Searle

Wednesday, 23 July 2025
another late start seemingly with the panel and lawyers in discussions about something
Lauren Harris
Kate Searle

Thursday, 24 July 2025
Angela Glancy
during AG's testimony there was a row over NC's entitlement to use correct-sex pronouns
Ann Hamilton

Friday, 25 July 2025
Peter Donaldson
Jim Borwick
Maggie Currer

Monday, 28 July 2025
a chaotic start with Claimant requesting new witnesses and provision of new documents
Fiona Wishart
Lindsey Nicoll

Tuesday, 29 July 2025
Maggie Currer
Emma Moore
Sandie Peggie

Closing submissions were on Monday, 1 September 2025 and Tuesday, 2 September 2025.

I'm starting this thread in advance. Although thread #54 is still about 50 posts from completion, any sniff of news and it'll be filled in a trice and I could miss having this (successor) thread in place.

As ever, my usual request. Please would posters tempted to post here post instead on the preceding thread until that one's full. Thanks.

And the last one is now full.

I am very pleased at everyone's behaviour. It's Friday and so you're all allowed to stay up an extra hour tonight if you want.

The December case I was trying to remember is Health & Care Professional Council v Dr Anne Woodhouse, 10-16 December. I think a professional standards body internal hearing rather than a tribunal, so possibly no public access.

Any idea where we are up to? I haven’t managed to keep up to date. I know someone’s taking early retirement.

Any idea when we’ll get a result? I saw someone on these kinds of threads say they’d had an awful day, or were devastated, and I panicked that some disappointing decisions had come in!

When I started following Sandie, I had no idea that we were talking months, and hours, and Darlington nurses, and the N.Ireland one…. I’m out of my depth 🤣

I don't have a subscription any more and it hasn't been archived yet, but just now in the Herald:

The judgment in the Sandie Peggie employment tribunal will be published before Christmas.
Ms Peggie's legal team told journalists the ruling in the "coming weeks".

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/25640252.sandie-peggie-latest-nhs-fife-judgment-due-coming-weeks/

So I guess that does mean not today :-(

The Herald coverage over the case has been sufficiently impressive that I've taken out their £20 subscription for the year. Least I can do to support them as Andrew Learmonth in particular has been dogged in giving actual detail from the submissions. Really thorough journalism from them and the local Fife press too.

But, yes. I am absolutely impatient waiting to hear the outcome to this case! I'm sure when it comes, the coverage in the press will be intriguing! At least the BBC seem to be turning a corner and we may get more realistic reports than we have had during the various days of evidence.

The Herald article has now been archived: https://archive.ph/4sFYK

It gives the dates for Sandie's claim against her union, the Royal College of Nursing, which will be heard from September 23d- October 1st next year in Dundee. That £20 for a year's subscription sounds like a good idea.

@ProfessorBinturong There is also a half day zoom hearing for Sarah Holman who was Harassed and Victimised for supporting Women’s Rights. That does involve Naomi but as it's a Zoom half day agreeing issues I doubt anyone can listen in. Sarah says on her crowdfunding page that she'll report back. (And a reminder that it's not only reindeer who like carrots).

The Chair of SEEN sued for saying 'only women menstruate' set for 4 weeks, starting on the 22nd of June 2026 is going to be really interesting as Naomi and JR will in theory be on the same side.

Fitness to practice hearings are open to the public unless there’s an application for them to be in private, for example to protect information related to someone’s health or family life.

Hayden has been told to.rewrite his defamation claim against Heath.

See here:
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5442367-hayden-v-heath-legalgengar-21st-november?reply=148678164

The Herald also had the temerity to award FWS public campaigners of the year, on the sacred Day of Transgender Remembrance no less.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g6dpn6154o

Sandie suing the union

I really hope it goes well for Sandie with the RCN. As an RCN member I am behind her all the way.

The nurse's legal team are working on an additional claim regarding this case, connected with an NHS Fife media statement released during the tribunal in July.

Ooh interesting!! There’s still legal stuff going on behind the scenes over the Friday afternoon binfire!

Shouldn't the headline say "Date set for trade union to face Sandie Peggie in tribunal"? She's bringing the case against them.

And they're facing Nancy Cunningham too so they should be quaking in their boots.

I'd say so. That's clearer and more accurate.

This article looks very much more matter-of-fact (neutral even) than previous BBC reports!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g6dpn6154o

Checks calendar - books off dates

The Herald also had the temerity to award FWS public campaigners of the year, on the sacred Day of Transgender Remembrance no less.

Last year a friend posted something about this on facebook, about how trans people are some of the most discriminated against. This year, not a peep. So we have made progress.

That post was the one which set me off on my journey and got me fully interested in what was happening, Yes, I am trans aware now, but not in the manner the post wanted me to be!

September 26? Justice moves slowly....

Facebook this year showed me a random person saying "on this transgender day of remembrance remember that there is no such thing as a transgender child".

The case against SEEN that I mentioned is being combined with the case against Andreas Mueller the Public servant sued for saying sex is binary, Part of the case against him was thrown out for having no reasonable prospect of success but one of the 3 parts is going ahead.

And it was a young relative wanting to be seen as the opposite sex that turned me from vaguely " be kind" to a rights hoarding dinosaur.

2 from the express today

https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/comment/no-one-stood-up-sandie-36288233?utm_source=linkCopy&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar

https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/scottish-news/major-development-sandie-peggie-case-36288308?utm_source=linkCopy&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar

Naomi Cunningham was acting for Sarah Morrison in the film festival case this week - never a moment ceases the fight eh.