Sandie Peggie: Employment Tribunal, associated legal claims, and related matters - thread #63

[nauticant]

TLDR version: Sandie Peggie vs Royal College of Nursing is currently being heard. The hearing started on Wednesday 23 September 2026 and is scheduled to end on Thursday 1 October 2026.

Sandie Peggie, a nurse at Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy (VH), brought claims in the employment tribunal against her employer; Fife Health Board (the Board) and another employee, Dr B Upton. Ms Peggie’s claims were of sexual harassment, harassment related to a protected belief, indirect discrimination and victimisation. Dr Upton claimed 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 after a prolonged process judgment was handed down on 8 December 2025. That judgment is being appealed and an appeal hearing is expected to take place in 2027.

Additional legal claims have been raised. Sandie Peggie is taking action against the Royal College of Nursing, against three senior managers who were witnesses in the employment tribunal - Dr Kate Searle, Dr Maggie Currer and Esther Davidson, against Carol Potter, the chief executive of NHS Fife, for victimisation, against NHS Fife for discrimination, and against its director of people and culture David Miller for harassment. In addition, Sandie Peggie is being investigated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council over fitness to practice.

The past proceedings were live tweeted by www.x.com/tribunaltweets. Tribunal Tweets are likely to be providing coverage in current and future proceedings. There's additional information on Tribunal Tweets' substack: tribunaltweets.substack.com/.

Links to previous threads #1 to #60 can be found in this thread: www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5379717-sandie-peggie-list-of-threads-covering-employment-tribunal-and-afterwards

Thread 60: www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5461133-sandie-peggie-vs-nhs-fife-health-board-and-dr-beth-upton-following-employment-tribunal-judgment-thread-60 16 December 2025 to 8 January 2026

Thread 61: www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5472628-sandie-peggie-vs-nhs-fife-health-board-and-dr-beth-upton-following-employment-tribunal-judgment-thread-61 8 January 2026 to 3 August 2026

Thread 62: www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5562302-sandie-peggie-vs-nhs-fife-health-board-and-dr-beth-upton-following-employment-tribunal-judgment-thread-62 3 August 2026 to 24 September 2026

DH - her criticism of the prison. Which was the clause engaged in LM case?
NP 11/3 I believe she already had permission from her line manager
DH p 24 - 30. Screengrab of linked in Ellie Mulveney (?) what’s the connection? NP I recollect she was a student information officer.
DH was she a member of RCN
NP yes. Not on staff.

God!

I've been to the doctors, the shop, the loo, made a cup of tea and taken a phone call AND this guy is still giving evidence.

Shoot me!

Shoot me now!

"DH were you aware LM held GC views and did that influence your decision?
NP not at all. I was aware but not influenced at all."

Hmmm 🤔

DH p.22.
NP minutes of the AGM .
EM contributions to that meeting. Is EM still a member?
NP don’t know
DH p1116 email in evidence to FSU November 2024. An RCN member emails. NP not familiar with the FSU. Seems to be raising concerns.

Not just still giving evidence but not even got as far as being cross-examined by Naomi yet

Well, apart from thinking her expressing those being harmful to the RNC... Apart from that, not at all...

Finally. I think the end may be in sight.

“We won’t be so harsh on you if you didn’t know” implies it’s a punitive policy. Why is it necessary or worthwhile to punish a member for seeking outside legal help?

I’m not suggesting you yourself agree with that - but it’s a question I’d like to understand.

I'll admit to a brief sigh of relief on returning home to discover Naomi hadn't got started on him yet .

.

Ooh ooh ooh NC up.

Gah! Lunch instead!

DH 2 paras below ‘at last years annual congress in Glasgow’.
NP all members present not just Scottish DH late 2023 any awareness of dispute?
NP no
DH you have involvement of policy at a collective level. An issue in this case the RCN position might have. Are you aware of a corporate position and how they might interact with other positions?
NP I’m aware of strongly held views on both sides. Never aware that RCN has taken one side only.

[😂😂

I feel the urge for a bacon buttie.

J break for lunch. We’ll resume at half past one.

Gives me an hour to catch up on 3 days of tribunal

Whatever happens there’s a problem with what’s provided by unions in exchange for membership payment. It’s visible in other unions as well.

I'm not sure why they have the policy. It may be simply to minimise cost to the union if a member has shown they will pay for independent legal advice. In any case it seems arbitrary but if thems the rules then thems the rules. If despite the rules they have the discretion to provide legal advice if the member was unaware of the rule then it seems even more arbitrary. Why can't they just say "Pick a team"? Either use RCN legal or use your own legal.

"NP I’m aware of strongly held views on both sides. Never aware that RCN has taken one side only."

Again..

Hmmm! 🤔

As the J has kindly reminded us that the recording stays on over lunch
it seems safer to stay in the room and admire NC eating her sandwich
rather than leave and risk a delay on trying to rejoin.

Did we know this was being recorded? Good if so, even if only the Js can watch it afterwards.

Of course he wasn't influenced at all by the anti-GC attitudes all around him!
He's a Blameless Vestal with a spotless mind -
How happy is the blameless Vestal's lot!
The world forgetting, by the world forgot;
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!
Each pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd.

I wonder if this leaves the way open for another brave nurse to raise the issue of males in female spaces and ask, from the start, that UNISON represent them
Would be interesting to see what their response was

Yeah, the evidence from yesterday about the FWS 'support group sessions' doesn't really tally with that...

'I see no ships'.
OK I'm going to stop quoting things all the time now, it could become tiresome

Not directly relevant as SP was not able to use the union's legal services, but an interesting snippet from earlier in Nick W's thread

"DH who are Anderson Strathern? NP they do all external RCN union work in Scotland. It goes to tender, but they've held the contract for a long time. We do use other providers when there is an AS conflict of interest. AS source those legal providers for us". (my bold)

What a cosy little arrangement!

What do you mean by "claimed to be a trans woman"?