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

There is a new case going forward next year with additional discrimination and which will include Potter and Miller. The issues were discovered/ created during the Peggie ET parts 1 & 2 but couldn't be folded in as additional to the original case. So they have submitted cause for a new ET and further discrimination which will include the press statement and other aspects.

It's a sensible move. And I'm sure she'll still be around for advice, even if off the record. It certainly heads off future issues in tribunals. Even if those did look like the last refuge of the desperate.

Not a Carol Potter 'resignation' and more of a "hold my beer" one.

So, Naomi’s really going for it.

Absolutely!

Totally off the cuff comment here, and I haven't thought it through, but I would dearly like the Gov Dep that funds/provides for the EHRC to actually fund claimants who believe they have been discriminated against under the Equality Act/SC judgment to take a case to court. The EHRC would then have precedent for future Guidelines.

IANAL, and as you can see I am not a deep thinker either! But the thought crossed my mind, and I wondered why not? These cases are discriminatory in themselves in a way (IMV) since the only people capable of taking them are those with deep pockets or wealthy benefactors.

The round of court cases will never end will it? But such cases can only be taken by a small minority who are affected. Not equal treatment is it?

So tell me why not, I suppose the EHRC is to be seen as independent or something and cannot intervene. I wouldn't agree.

Agreed

Am sure she will do as much work off the record and will be extending their legal activities, albeit not in name.

It means that they can moved forward with SM legally challenging the squirrely statement while NC is representing SP in the same set of cases. It was all getting too conflicted otherwise.

No. It would only be breaching embargo terms.if her resignation were somehow part of the judgement. Which it won't be.

Just popping this here, apologies if someone’s already mentioned and I’ve missed it.

“If you would like to send a thank-you card to Naomi, address it to her at Outer Temple Chambers, 222 Strand, Temple, London, WC2R 1BA.”

Well at least we know what Naomi was doing in Scotland at the back end of last week.

Poor Carol. Just such a kind dear friend. She didn't mean to harass Sandie in six versions of a press release mid trail. She's just a kind friend.

@Alpacajigsaw The steady progression of press reports makes me excited that the decision is probably imminent.

Margaret Gribbon's timing with press releases has been extraordinary so far. I'm sure that, however long it takes, we are on a journey towards the decision now, and she won't disappoint us (or her press contacts).

We really should ask her to consider working with Tunnocks next year, to make a Mumsnet FWR Advent Calendar that has either a chocolate treat or a delicious press release behind every window.

Amazing how quickly Naomi responded to you. 😊

I think it's lovely that Kind Carol can enjoy a summer retirement and then enjoy popping back for the Christmas Do, to coincide handily with her tribunal-related legal services team meetings. They will all be so pleased to see each other again.

So caring. So friendly.

Maybe Carol's friend.

When are Big Sond’s holidays?

Shall we run a book on whether they’ll instruct Jane Russell again?

Don't know if this has been posted yet but were on for round 2 with our friend Carol in the doc this time.
Oh and NHS Fife still wont get the men out of the women's facilities ffs

https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/nhs-fife-sued-again-sandie-36334397?utm_source=linkCopy&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar

Men in the female staff changing facilities

Thank you for posting, and this may be a good time to have one of our occasional outbreaks of 'synchronised donating', to SM this time, and as a gesture of appreciation for NC's work with them.

There's a 'donate' button on their home page
Sex Matters - It shouldn’t take courage to say so

Margaret Gribbon's timing with press releases has been extraordinary so far. I'm sure that, however long it takes, we are on a journey towards the decision now, and she won't disappoint us (or her press contacts).

Margaret Gribbon has played an absolute blinder the whole way though. She’s definitely someone you want on your side. Whoever put Sandie in touch with her knew what they were doing!

I wonder if with all these announcements today, the judgement will be tomorrow <crosses fingers>

Excellent ty for links and address!

Also, please let's all remember to 'repay' the Herald and Courier and other news sources that reported on SP's case long before the BBC began to pull its finger out. Clicks, social media links, and for those who can afford it, subscriptions, will help set them up for future reporting. And they are also a genuinely entertaining source of Scottish news, once your device algorithms kick in!

The last time we did a 'synchronised donating' to SM, we included MG by name, and mentioned the rest of the legal team too [I'm sure there's background stuff done by the human equivalent of the Bluestocking's gerbils😄]
so MG knows we think highly of her too, we're not just😍about NC!

The Scottish Daily Express has done some fantastic journalism around this case and indeed the wider issue. There are well-established former broadsheets who could learn a lesson or two.