"NHS spent £600k in taxpayer cash fighting Darlington nurses in trans row"

[singthing]

and confirms it won't be appealing the judgment. But it's all fine because, they will do "a review to ensure we capture and act on the learning."

With that and 400-odd k in Peggie, and the countless other smaller tribunals, cases, ETs... I feel like we need a Blue Peter style totaliser to add up how much money the Gov will spunk in its desperation to force men into women's spaces.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/02/20/nhs-spent-600k-taxpayer-cash-darlington-nurses-trans-row/
https://archive.ph/MdLjt

Meanwhile in some UK hospitals patients are being treated in corridors due to a lack of beds on wards.

NHS: please get your priorities straight.

And how much did they waste on rainbows.

And on ‘training’

"“We know there will be concerns about this. We will review our approach to identify whether there were missed opportunities and we will also give consideration to enhanced board oversight through the relevant committee.”

Whether? Whether? JFC.

The report added: “I have reviewed the outcome with colleagues and the trust will not appeal the findings of the tribunal.”
Mr Russell wrote: “On behalf of the trust, I am sorry for the distress caused to all colleagues impacted by this.

Still can't bring themselves to say sorry to the nurses, it has to be "all colleagues impacted".

Fucker. No other word for him.

Just shows the power of the trans mob to distort every aspect of an institution. The amount of money that's directed to this anti social, toxic ideology is shameful. And NHS money that should be being spent on patient care

At this point it really is just embarrassing.

Next time I have to go in to full-scale battle mode simply to get an extra inhaler prescribed for DD, I am going to find it so incredibly difficult not to raise this.

If we were in Darlington or Fife, I bloody would be saying it. If they can spunk this much money on trying to force their female staff to expose themselves to men, they can fuck off with the penny-pinching over life-saving meds.

Will the Trust be publishing the report written by Steve Russell, the trust’s chief executive which he presented to the board revealing the trust spent hundreds of thousands of pounds on defending itself in the case? or will we need to FOI it?

And many of us are paying twice - once through taxes to defend something we disagree with, and once through crowdfunders to challenge our own government or public institutions.

Well here’s hoping that every other hospital in the country is paying close attention and rewriting their guidance.

That. ^^ And there'd better not be any whingeing about installing third space changing and toilets on grounds of 'cost' either.

True, but maybe there is a bright side to this, which amounts to "The more severe the beating is, the more you'll remember it". Next time some loser comes along and demands his or her (but more likely his, calling it "hers") rights as a transgender person, anyone who considers supporting them can think back to this experience, and they might say, "Oh no. We've already spent a heap of money fighting this battle, which we were doomed to lose all along". If they want to be nice about it, they'll tell the applicant how sympathetic they are, but they'll say, "This is a fight we can't win".

Given the trouncing the GLP received, if they have decent lawyers I imagine they realised any appeal had no legs, and this may have played into this decision. Plus publicly pissing another few hundred thousand of public money up the wall wouldn’t have looked great.

It is in the minutes of the Board Meeting 28 January 2026

https://www.cddft.nhs.uk/application/files/1817/6951/6292/CDDFTOpenBoardPack-Jan26.pdf

page 43

Meeting: Trust Board Date:
28th January 2026
Title: Chief Executive’s Report
Author: Steve Russell, Chief Executive

Introduction

Alert: The Trust received a Section 29A Warning Notice following the Well led inspection highlighting weaknesses in our governance and risk management systems; and has received the outcome of an Employment Tribunal which found indirect discrimination and harassment because of Trust policies and an insufficient response to concerns.

Advise: The Trust is not likely to submit a compliant plan for 26/27, with significant risks in financial performance and planned care delivery which will likely require further action and support to mitigate. There is slippage in the delivery of improvements in the areas identified in the S29A warning notice in Surgery. Additional focus is being put in place in a six-week sprint. Assure:

Approval relating to the one-off payments for Healthcare Support Workers has been received and payments will be made in February 2026.

page 45

Employment Tribunal

15. The reserved judgment in the Employment Tribunal case concerning staff changing-room facilities at Darlington Memorial Hospital has now been issued.

16. The Tribunal upheld elements of the claims relating to harassment connected to sex and gender reassignment, finding that requiring the claimants to share a female changing room with a trans woman amounted to harassment, and that the Trust did not respond adequately to concerns raised by staff, contributing to an intimidating environment. The Tribunal found that aspects of indirect sex discrimination succeeded.

17. Other victimisation claims, and broader harassment claims against the Trust, and those concerning the conduct of the colleague involved were dismissed.

18. We have acknowledged these findings and recognised that we did not sufficiently consider or address the concerns raised by some colleagues. On behalf of the Trust, I am sorry for the distress caused to all colleagues impacted by this. Work is already underway to review relevant policies, improve the provision of private changing spaces, engage with colleagues and staff networks, and ensure future arrangements align with the law. National guidance is still awaited but the judgment is binding on the Trust and as such we intend to take action to ensure we are compliant with the judgment. Further updates will be brought to the Board as actions progress.

19. Recognising the significant public interest, I also wanted to advise the Board of the cost of the litigation, which is c£603k up to the end of the tribunal. We know there will be concerns about this. We will review our approach to identify whether there were missed opportunities, and we will also give consideration to enhanced Board oversight through the relevant committee.

20. I have reviewed the outcome with colleagues and the Trust will not appeal the findings of the Tribunal. We contacted the claimants legal representatives on the day of the judgment to acknowledge the findings and to seek further discussions to try and resolve the issues.

Regulatory environment

21. An integrated approach to oversight of the Trust (IQIG), led by NHS England’s Regional Director has been put in place which seeks to draw together all of the requirements on the Trust.

EDIT: ps. Nothing on the CDDFT website in News, Updates, Media, etc. Like it never happened!
www.cddft.nhs.uk/about-us/news?category=&year=2026#news-list

Point 18 - national guidance is still awaited ...

When will they realise that the EHRC guidance is not for employers?

For one fucking dude! And not even one that anyone could even begin to pretend would be mistaken for a woman should he change where he ought to change.

Gender ideology true belief must feel like some powerful mild altering substance.

I was rather hoping that this report written by Steve Russell, the trust’s chief executive which he presented to the board would explain why they blew over £600K defending this case. Someone must have signed off on it & presumably there was a legal opinion that they were obliged to defend but those responsible for this shitshow & colossal waste of money need to be held accountable.

I think it will need an FOIR to try to unearth that info, although they are almost guaranteed to redact or refuse to release details identifying individuals responsible. Definitely worth a shot though!

We don’t actually know what legal advice they were given about their chances unfortunately that isn't possible from FOI requests. IANAL but as there was a recording of managers behaving badly and the SC had said it's reasonable for women to want privacy, on the actual claims I would have thought it was fairly low chance.

I am a TERF, obviously I would have hoped they fold like a damp tea towel...but even if they didn't defending a Tribunal doesn't warrant chucking £600K at expensive external lawyers. In house counsel or ordinary solicitors probably would have made the same points for a fraction of the cost.

Given the Board minutes I do wonder if this is just how they operate, i.e. chucking £600K at Tribunals that rarely go above a few grand in compensation.

Shocking waste of tax payers money- wonder what "Rose" would say?
A mealy-mouthed apology issued by the CE isn't really an apology is it?
How on earth can they defend this? How many vital patient services could have benefitted from this amount of cash?

The CEO apologised to the Board. As far as I am aware, the Trust has not apologised to the Darlington Nurses.

I think the costs will be met by NHS Resolution rather than County Durham and Darlington NHS Trust:
https://resolution.nhs.uk/

Still money that could have gone to patient services.

As long as their bank balance looked great, they would not care. And absolutely nobody who can squander meney from the public purse thinks there is any limit on how much they can waste.

Doubling the amount of money given to NHS made no improvement at all.

The interesting thing will be when Unions get sued, for failing to defend female union members.

There would also be an arguable proposal that the treatment of Rosie the (then) Labour Canterbury M.P., told that police could not keep her safe, at her own party conference, was harmed by the activities of the political party which incited and condoned truth- denying extremists, now that the truth has been confirmed by Supreme Court .

There must surely be cases when individuals could get sued, for their culpable part in causing harm.

Well I hate to say this, but I think that’s wishful thinking, given there is a manager from NHS England on AMA at the moment saying she knows nothing about this case.

Oh FFS. She's a bit of a shit manager then