To Scotland, where the nurse at the centre of a trans tribunal against NHS Fife has been cleared of all gross misconduct allegations. On Tuesday night, Sandie Peggie’s lawyer said that the health board had cleared the nurse of four gross misconduct allegations – following Peggie’s suspension in January 2024 after complaining about sharing a changing room with transgender medic Dr Beth Upton. Peggie then lodged a complaint of sexual harassment or harassment related to a protected belief under the 2010 Equality Act while earlier this year Dr Upton had made an allegation of bullying and harassment against the nurse.
The case regarding single sex spaces was heard for ten days before being adjourned in February – just weeks before the Supreme Court unanimously backed the biological definition of a woman. A statement released by Peggie’s lawyer read:
On Tuesday, July 15, the evening before the resuming of her tribunal, Sandie Peggie received confirmation from Fife Health Board that following a disciplinary hearing, none of the gross misconduct allegations against her were upheld. This follows a disciplinary hearing on June 25, which considered four gross misconduct allegations: two relating to patient care failures, one of ‘misgendering’ Dr Upton, and one relating to her encounter with Dr Upton in the workplace female-only changing room on Christmas Eve 2023. Sandie is relieved and delighted that this 18-month long internal process has concluded and cleared her of all allegations.
NHS Fife has been under increasing scrutiny following its rather opaque responses to Freedom of Information requests. It transpired earlier this month that the health board has spent a staggering £220,000 defending itself in the employment tribunal. The figure was revealed after Scotland’s information commissioner intervened – and ruled that the health board had failed to comply with FOI requests. So much for transparency, eh?
The tribunal is set to resume this morning. Stay tuned…
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