NHS Fife tries to silence nurse - Sandie Peggie vs NHS Fife Health Board and Dr Beth Upton - thread #56

[nauticant]

Judgment was handed down on 8 December 2025:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6936ce28a6fc97b81e57436a/S_Peggie_v_Fife_Health_Board__Dr_Upton.pdf

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
Thread 55: mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5447019-nhs-fife-tries-to-silence-nurse-sandie-peggie-vs-nhs-fife-health-board-and-dr-beth-upton-thread-55

“Bosses all over the U.K. will heed this warning”

🍿

Straight outta the mouths of the bbc 🎉

She was not suspended for harrassing Dr Upton. She was suspended following an allegation from someone who proved to be a very unreliable witness. Dr Upton escaped responsibility because NHS Fife were responsible for investigating the allegations. It was found that they failed to do this properly. Similarly, Dr Upton escaped blame for being in the changing room because NHS Fife had given Dr Upton permission to be there which should have been revoked as soon as Sandie first complained.

This ruling says (drum roll) that employers need to treat all their staff fairly. If they do not do that, then it's on them, not the staff member who was given the advantage.

Only two people know what happened in that changing room that night. What has now been shown is that one was harassed by their employer. It was not Dr Upton, who made some interesting statements under oath which can now be taken forward by the GMC, as can gaining a greater understanding as to why allegations about patient care were made so long afterwards while patients were, allegedly, at risk because of Sandie Peggie's behaviour. Anyone who thinks Dr Upton has been vindicated hasn't taken that into account.

Sandie was entitled to complain about Dr Upton. That was not upheld by the tribunal. Dr Upton was entitled to complain about Sandie. That was not upheld by the hospital and the tribunal commented on the quality of the evidence and Dr Upton claiming to be a biological woman.

He’s a man who used a single sex space for women.

How is that consistent with Forstater?

Dr Upton is a man.

Well yes and no.

Yes, I agree it was a much tougher case to make against Upton, as he's an NHS employee and a relatively junior one. So he could duck and swerve, and claim no-one told him he had to change in the Men's or in a Gender Neutral facility. Hence today's weaselly judgement.

But also, No. Upton was deeply unsympathetic, and not remotely 'female' on the stand. He came across as a man who had been socialised from birth (and over-indulged) as an upper-middle class male. So Upton believed his validation wants as a trans-identified male doctor trumped the wellbeing & safety needs of females/nurses.

He didn't ask before pushing his way into the Women's changing room. He just casually mentioned it as a done deal afterwards to his supervisor. To my ears, Upton's evidence seemed self-serving, confused and often not credible.

So that part of him being a party to the proceedings was very useful.

What evidence is there to suggest she poses any danger whatsoever to other women?

The fact that he's a man in a women's changing room, for a start.

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Thanks for the laughs. I needed something to pick me up.

Dr Upton isn’t living as ‘themselves’. They’re manifesting a mental condition by using women as props.

He is not saving lives he is complaining elderly people are identifying him as a man.

Please confirm. Do you believe Dr Upton is a biological woman?

Or his feelings towards female patients who request female doctor for their privacy and dignity.

Saying "we get it , you like to undress in front of men" is a sexually demeaning/ harassing personal comment, and there's no need / excuse for it whatsoever .

Please let's leave the personal comments there.

ThanksS

It’s not - the policy itself is harassing of Sandie

Which she was allowed to do.

She has been cleared of all wrongdoing .

I'm fairly sure he raised it with someone as something he was concerned about as well. Not in a way to say what do I do, but more of a she's being horrible but not enough to complain about her, yet, way.

Statement from Sandie:

m.youtube.com/watch?v=aXqQ0dFxNwo

As I listened I did wonder whether we'd be in such mess if the BBC had accurately reported the issues instead of obeying commands to call men women and to pretend that AGP / fetish etc didn't exist when reporting all the murder / sex offending cases that have gone through the courts.

Can I clarify please? Are you saying that someone who holds a belief which is legally allowable is hideous and hateful because you say so? How do you think Sandie Peggie felt when she was harrassed by NHS Fife? Or is that unimportant to you?

My right to believe that sex is more important than self-allocated gender is protected in law. It's not hideous and hateful, and we're notably not going into trans reddit and other safe spaces to hurl insults around. I'd like to understand why you feel the need to come here and do that.

You talk about safe spaces while attacking other people's safe spaces. That answers the question as to why single sex facilities are necessary.

Is the conclusion that if one woman after another complained DU would be out of the CR on an ongoing basis until every investigation was started and finished? NHSFife have basically admitted a problem (why else change shift patterns) so they would have to find solutions for everyone else too. Seems rather an impractical way of doing things.

It’s not sexually demeaning. If you like to get undressed in front of men please crack on. Remove your clothes as a prop for their mental ‘incongruity’.

It’s not sexually harassing, it’s literally what you want for all women. After all It’s just a changing room.

@HackneyMum1 ❤❤

Unfortunately, his misogyny went down a treat with the sexist judge.

I was sad about Maria Kelly's trial loss. I'm devastated about this, a win though it is.

Beyond the feminist issue, the argument of the insufficient number of complainants is absolutely awful. It paves the way for Mafia rule. "You blackmailed people in this village into paying you money if they did not want their shops blown up and their children hurt, but only one of them complained to the police, therefore you should walk free to threaten them further". I have literally no words. That cannot be justice.

If a female patient who'd asked for a female doctor complains if she gets Upton, will she get one?

please stop referring to me "undressing" and making comments about who I like to be present when I undress.

You are making unwanted : unconsensual sexual comments about my person/ preferences.