NHS nurse who complained about sharing changing room with transgender doctor cleared of bullying
Nurse Sandie Peggie was suspended from Victoria Hospital in Fife, Scotland in January last year after a transgender medic, Dr Beth Upton, made allegations of bullying and harassment towards Ms Peggie.
Ms Peggie was stood down while the hospital board considered four gross misconduct allegations against her, including one of misgendering the doctor and over an encounter with the doctor in the female-only changing room.
Dr Upton also cited concerns about 'patient care'.
Ms Peggie then took the health board and the doctor to the employment tribunal, lodging her own complaint of sexual harassment over incidents in that changing room.
Ms Peggie's lawyer, Margaret Gribbon, said the night before the tribunal was due to recommence hearings, the Fife health board decided not to uphold the misconduct allegations towards her client.
'Sandie is relieved and delighted that this 18-month-long internal process has concluded and cleared her of all allegations," she said.
NHS Fife confirmed it had concluded its internal investigation into the nurse's conduct.
"It considered several allegations, including regarding interactions between colleagues and patient care," the health board said.
"After reviewing the evidence presented, including written submissions and witness testimony, the panel found that there was insufficient evidence to support a finding of misconduct.
"While no formal sanctions have been imposed, the panel concluded that a facilitated reflective practice discussion would be appropriate."
The employment tribunal hearing will continue to take place and is expected to resume on Wednesday and last 11 days.
The tribunal began in Dundee in February but resumes after the UK Supreme Court ruled in April that the terms 'woman' and 'sex' in the 2010 Equality Act 'refer to a biological woman and biological sex'.
NHS Fife has spent more than £220,000 defending itself in the employment tribunal so far.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
25 minutes ago
- BBC News
Nurses union to reject pay deal as strike vote looms
Nurses will overwhelmingly reject their pay award in England this week, raising the possibility of strikes later in the year, the BBC Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has been holding a consultative vote on their 3.6% pay rise, previously describing it as "grotesque" to award nurses a lower increase than doctors, teachers, prison officers and the armed decision on formal strike action would not be made until later in the government accepted in May the pay review body's recommendations of a 3.6% rise for nurses this year. The union will announce the results of its indicative vote later this week but the BBC understands it will show an "overwhelming" rejection of the turnout is expected to be well over the 50% threshold needed for industrial union will demand ministers negotiate over the summer to avoid a formal ballot for strike action in the RCN is understood to be open to talks on wider pay structures, not just headline pay.A union spokesman said: "The results will be announced to our members later this week. As the largest part of the NHS workforce, nursing staff do not feel valued and the government must urgently begin to turn that around."On Friday the GMB union representing thousands of health workers, including ambulance crews, rejected the government's pay deal in an initial consultative GMB said its members voted by 67% against the 3.6% pay award offered for 2025/26 in union has written to Health Secretary Wes Streeting calling for an urgent meeting to discuss pay and other national secretary Rachel Harrison said: "Our national NHS and ambulance committees met on 24 July to discuss the ballot results and determine what the next steps should be."Today, we have written to Secretary of State Wes Streeting, asking him to meet with us to discuss pay and other issues of significant importance to GMB members."We await his reply with interest."Thousands of resident doctors in England, previously known as junior doctors, began a five-day strike on Friday after the government and the British Medical Association failed to reach an agreement over health secretary said while it was not possible to eliminate disruption to the NHS, it was being kept to a minimum.
South Wales Guardian
2 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
Pharmacies warn of unsustainable demand for weight loss medication
Many more patients are interested in using weight loss medication than are actually suitable for treatment, according to the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), which represents more than 6,000 independent community pharmacies. Some 21% of people who were interviewed in a NPA-commissioned poll agreed they had attempted to access weight loss treatments in the last year, either online or in person at a pharmacy, rising to 35% of 16 to 34-year-olds. This is compared to only 7% of those over 55. There were also 41% who agreed they would opt for weight loss treatments on the NHS if they were made available to them. This figure rose to 64% among 25 to 34-year-olds, despite many of these patients being unlikely to be clinically eligible. The NPA says the poll, in which 2,002 people were interviewed, reflects an increasing demand for private and NHS weight loss services. NPA chairman Olivier Picard said: 'Weight loss jabs are one of the biggest drug innovations this century, but growing demand for weight loss treatment highlights the need to make sure this is appropriate for those who want it. 'It's clear from this polling that many more people are interested in getting weight loss jabs than would actually be suitable for treatment. 'We want to make sure supplies are carefully managed so that those in most clinical need can benefit from weight loss medication.' Spiralling demand, fuelled partly by social media, could see people being tempted to resort to unregulated online suppliers instead of regulated pharmacies staffed by medical professionals, they fear. Online suppliers may not be offering weight loss jabs alongside a structured programme aimed at helping them change their behaviour. Wegovy and Mounjaro are among a number of drugs that are recommended to help tackle obesity on the NHS. Mounjaro and Wegovy are licensed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for use in patients with a BMI of over 30 or between 27 and 30 but with a weight-related co-morbidity. This occurs when an individual who has obesity develops another medical condition due to their weight. The NHS currently rolls out Mounjaro to patients with a BMI of over 40 and at least four co-morbidities, the NPA says. The NPA is calling for new regulations to protect patients buying weight loss medication online, so there is a full two-way consultation and all relevant historical medical records are reviewed before the treatment is prescribed. They are waiting for more details about the role pharmacies could play in the rollout of the NHS weight management programme. At least 85% of weight loss medication prescriptions were made by pharmacies in April this year, the NPA estimates. Mr Picard said: 'Pharmacists are experts in medication and many have extensive experience delivering weight loss injections as part of a package of care, including lifestyle advice. 'Pharmacies are well placed to help roll this treatment out on the NHS, and help people make the best use of these powerful medicines.'
Times
2 hours ago
- Times
I was a Gen Z screen addict. Then I took drastic action
A lot can happen in seven hours. You could fly from London to Dubai, get through a full school day or enjoy a luxurious night's sleep. Me? I used to spend seven hours a day staring at my phone screen. Now I average less than one. I'm 22 and I've spent an alarming percentage of my life glued to my phone. It was everything — my entertainment, my social lifeline, my procrastination tool, my 3am therapist. I'm far from alone. Data shows that Generation Z's daily screen time is on average more than nine hours a day, which is more than any other generation. That's about 136 days a year spent staring at a screen. Meanwhile, the NHS reports a steep rise in mental health disorders among young people, which tracks closely with the explosion in digital device use.
