Latest news with #ChristmasEve
The Herald Scotland
a day ago
- Health
- The Herald Scotland
NHS Fife: Key points as Sandie Peggie defends racist comment
The crucial evidence heard from a key witness describing Dr Upton as a 'chromosomal male', while Ms Peggie took the stand to defend comments she made which were described as racist. Here are the key points from today's hearing. 'Need to know' group Dr Currer told the tribunal she did not believe she had compromised the investigation by emailing a 'need to know' group of colleagues about the Christmas Eve incident that led to Ms Peggie's suspension. She also rejected claims that it was 'grossly improper' for her to send that email. The email referenced a desire to avoid 'foot and mouth disease' – or gossiping – about the investigation. But Naomi Cunningham, representing Ms Peggie, suggested that Dr Currer had been attempting to create a small email 'working group' to discuss the case. 'Do you not see a problem with that?' the barrister asked. Dr Currer said: "At that time the investigation had not been completed. The reported behaviour was unacceptable and one of the issues with problems and bullying and harassment is that it is impossible to help if we do not know about it." Upton 'chromosomally male' After a long discussion about chromosomes and biological sex, Dr Currer stated that Dr Upton was 'chromosomally male'. It was put to the doctor by Ms Cunningham that Dr Upton is 'quite simply biologically male'. Ms Currer told the tribunal: 'Although I've not examined Dr Upton she's also in terms of genitalia, male but I have not examined her.' But the tribunal also heard that Dr Currer did not believe the right way of approaching Upton's use of the women's changing room would have been to check if medical staff were 'comfortable'. She said: 'In hindsight I could have checked with medical staff whether or not they were going to be comfortable with Dr Upton using the female changing rooms.' Dr Currer added: 'I'm still not sure that advertising Dr Upton's trans status would have been the right thing to do.' 'Dark humour' Ms Peggie began her evidence by defending comments she shared about the devastating floods in Pakistan, which killed 1,739 people. The nurse said these were comments shared with a private group of friends "Looking at them, they're distasteful," Ms Peggie said. "At the time it was sent in dark humour, expecting a shocked reaction from the girls. I think there was one laughing emoji." Ms Peggie also told the tribunal that she used the racial term 'P***' often when growing up as it was 'normal' in the community. She was asked about her alleged comments where she said she would throw a packet of bacon at a mosque, and claims about immigrants. The nurse told the tribunal she would not treat patients or staff differently because of their race or ethnicity. Ms Peggie told the tribunal she had a fear of Muslims and Sharia law. She did however said she would not say these comments around Muslim people to avoid 'offense'. On illegal immigration, Ms Peggie defended a joke about the floods in Pakistan by stating that 'Britain has too many P***'s' if they want some back'. She was also asked whether it was offensive to refer to the aftermath of the floods in Pakistan as looking like a 'giant bowl of coco pops'. She agreed this was offensive. 'I am not homophobic' Ms Peggie also defended allegations she was homophobic. In evidence, Lindsay Nicoll said yesterday the nurse had been 'devastated' by her daughter coming out as gay. Ms Peggie told the tribunal that she was 'originally upset' and worried about the prejudice held by other people. She also said: 'I don't have any bad feelings towards trans people. I just don't think they should use the female changing room."
Cosmopolitan
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Cosmopolitan
Princess Charlotte Twins With Kate Middleton in Polka Dots
Princess Charlotte stepped out with her dad, Prince William, earlier this week to catch the the UEFA Women's Euro 2025 final in Switzerland, and—in case you missed it!—the photos were very sweet: Charlotte wore a polka dot dress to the event (wow, on trend), which is obviously just a cute look in general, but fans and press are pointing out that she's actually paying subtle homage to her mom, Kate Middleton, by wearing a mini version of one her most signature looks. Kate is basically obsessed with polka dots, has worn them throughout her life in the public eye, and actually stepped out in a grown-up version of Charlotte's dress to the Wimbledon Championships in July 2022. Charlotte's dress is also a call back to her own soccer-style. She wore a similar navy and white polka dot look in July 2022, when she joined her dad William to send a special message to England's team and wished them luck in their final game against Germany. Kate and William largely keep their kids out of the spotlight aside from major royal traditions like the Christmas Eve walk and Trooping the Colour, but earlier this month Kate took Charlotte to Wimbledon, where she wore—you guessed it—the same polka dot dress: Speaking of Wimbledon, apparently the princess absolutely loves tennis, which is actually one of the many reasons Kate and William are considering moving from their current home, Adelaide Cottage (on the Windsor Estate), to a larger gothic mansion with its own private tennis court (and staff cottages). More on their upcoming move below:
The Herald Scotland
2 days ago
- Health
- The Herald Scotland
Sandie Peggie recalled for more evidence against NHS Fife
It comes as Jane Russell KC called Lindsay Nicoll and Ruth Wishart, both emergency nursing practitioners at NHS Fife. The pair are set to give evidence over the course of today and will speak to Ms Peggie's character, including allegations the nurse made racist comments. However, ahead of the tribunal resuming in Dundee, Ms Cunningham said Ms Peggie must have the right to respond to these allegations directly. After a 50 minute interval where legal teams debated the possibility of recalling Ms Peggie, it was confirmed she will give more evidence, however the timings are yet to be confirmed. Read more: Ms Peggie, who works in the emergency department at Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy, is suing the health board and Dr Beth Upton after she was suspended for raising objections to the transwoman's use of a female changing room on Christmas Eve 2023. She was suspended on January 3, 2024, after Dr Upton submitted a complaint alleging bullying and harassment. The case has led to significant criticism of NHS Fife. The employment tribunal resumed earlier this month after a five-month break. Just hours before it restarted, Ms Peggie was cleared of all four gross misconduct allegations following a separate internal disciplinary hearing. The allegations included two patient care failures, "misgendering" Dr Upton, and her Christmas Eve encounter in the changing room. Read more: The disciplinary panel insufficient evidence to support a finding of misconduct, concluding the 18-month internal process. Ms Cunningham also said she wanted to call two new witnesses. It is understood one of these witnesses will bring forward new insight into the culture at NHS, with Ms Cunningham stating the witness will directly counter the argument that Ms Peggie was the only person to raise concerns about a transgender doctor using female changing rooms. Employment Judge Sandy Kemp said it was "permissible" for Ms Peggie to be recalled, as well as hearing from two additional witnesses. However he warned both legal teams to "take account of the very limited time that is available". He instructed them to make "all questions as short and to the point as possible" to allow for evidence to conclude by 4pm tomorrow. During the evidence session so far, Ms Wishart told the tribunal she was at a lunch with Ms Peggie in September 2023. It was there, she said that Ms Peggie made "derogatory" remarks about Dr Upton, including referring to the trans medic as a "weirdo" and a "freak". She is also alleged to have called Dr Upton "it". Ms Wishart said she did not remember what the specific remarks were but she had been told by another A&E nurse present at the lunch. She also accused Ms Peggie of making "derogatory" racist comments against immigrants. And in referencing a mosque being built in Kirkcaldy, Ms Wishart said Ms Peggie said she "had a good mind to post bacon through the letter box". Ms Wishart said she specifically recalled this because she found it "offensive". NHS Fife's legal costs reached £258,831.31 by June 20, 2025 and are expected to rise substantially. However, the health board is only directly liable for the first £25,000 under the NHS Scotland Central Legal Office indemnity scheme. The full costs will ultimately be met by the taxpayer, however.
The Herald Scotland
4 days ago
- Health
- The Herald Scotland
Sandie Peggie: MSP urges probe into NHS Fife ‘vendetta'
Ms Peggie, who works in the emergency department at Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy, is suing the board and Dr Beth Upton after she was suspended for raising objections to the trans woman doctor's use of a female changing room on Christmas Eve 2023. She was suspended on January 3, 2024, after Dr Upton submitted a complaint alleging bullying and harassment. READ MORE The case has led to significant criticism of NHS Fife. The employment tribunal resumed earlier this month after a five-month break. Just hours before it restarted, Ms Peggie was cleared of all four gross misconduct allegations following a separate internal disciplinary hearing. The allegations included two patient care failures, "misgendering" Dr Upton, and her Christmas Eve encounter in the changing room. The disciplinary panel insufficient evidence to support a finding of misconduct, concluding the 18-month internal process. The health board's legal costs had reached £258,831.31 by June 30, 2025, and are expected to rise substantially. While NHS Fife is liable for only the first £25,000 under the NHS Scotland Central Legal Office indemnity scheme, the full cost will ultimately be met by the taxpayer. Just three days after the tribunal resumed, NHS Fife released a statement noting that staff involved had faced threats of "physical harm and sexual violence". The health board's initial 1,700-word press release, addressing what it described as "misinformation" around the case, referenced the CEO of Sex Matters, Maya Forstater, who has already given evidence, and the group's chair, barrister Naomi Cunningham, who is leading Ms Peggie's case. The next paragraph stated that while the case had attracted "significant and very polarised debate" on social media, "what began as debate has evolved into much more worrying behaviour, including a threat of physical harm and sexual violence, which has required the involvement of Police Scotland". Ms Peggie's barrister, Charlotte Elves, told the tribunal the board was suggesting Sex Matters' involvement had resulted in "worrying behaviour." "It is a matter of some concern that a party to proceedings seems to link a witness in these proceedings with the conduct of members of the public, including threats of physical violence," she added. The statement was later amended to say that "NHS Fife was not seeking to suggest that anyone involved with Sex Matters have contributed to the behaviour or issues mentioned above". It was then edited again to remove mention of Ms Cunningham and Ms Forstater. By last Monday, all reference to Sex Matters had been wiped. Ms Peggie's lawyers have asked Fife Health Board to "confirm the names of those individuals who signed off the statement". Speaking to The Herald on Sunday, Ms Mochan said she had serious concerns about the way the case had been handled. "The case is ongoing and we should let that play out," she said. "But I think it is clear that NHS Fife have let this get out of control and that certain individuals did not treat Ms Peggie with the respect she and all NHS staff deserve." READ MORE Ms Mochan also criticised the Scottish Government's response. "From the offset it was one of trying to evade responsibility," she said. "As the case has gone on, they have failed to recognise the very clear injustice that has taken place. "We have seen with the [Gender Recognition Reform] Bill that the SNP seem incapable of approaching this issue in a common sense way, and I think the First Minister needs to review the Government's approach because it is looking increasingly ideological rather than guided by the best interests of the people of Scotland." Ms Mochan said public bodies needed to be absolutely clear on what the law now requires following April's Supreme Court ruling that sex in the Equality Act refers to biological sex. "We have clear judgments now from the Supreme Court and in other cases as to the correct approach. All public bodies must adhere to this and ensure that all staff who are enforcing rules and regulations are absolutely clear about what they are. I have seen far too many complaints from across Scotland that such rules are being interpreted in drastically different ways — that should never be the case." She said she wanted the board to explain how it planned to ensure such a situation could not happen again. "I would like to see very clear proposals about how they will ensure this does not happen again and what consequences there will be for anyone found to have overstepped their responsibilities," she said. "To the general public, it appears that some may have pursued a vendetta against Ms Peggie — and as a staunch trade unionist I find that intolerable." Both John Swinney and his Health Secretary Neil Gray have insisted they have full confidence in NHS Fife. Ms Mochan said the health board pursued a vendetta against Ms Peggie Ms Mochan's Labour colleague, Fife MSP Claire Baker, has called for an inquiry into the health board's handling of the tribunal and has written to Mr Gray to ask him to launch a probe. The Courier reported that Ms Baker told The Fist Minister and Mr Gray that it is becoming "increasingly evident" there should be "robust scrutiny" of NHS Fife's senior management decision-making and the culture inside the health board. A Scottish Government spokeswoman said ministers have been clear they have confidence in the board, but added: "It would be inappropriate to comment further while judicial proceedings in an employment tribunal are ongoing." Asked if the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee could examine the case, Ms Mochan replied: "I agree with my colleague Claire Baker that there should be an inquiry into what went on, and as such it would be perfectly reasonable for the committee to also look into it." Last week, JK Rowling described Ms Peggie as a "heroine" and said NHS Fife had treated the nurse "abominably."
North Wales Chronicle
5 days ago
- Health
- North Wales Chronicle
Transgender medic row could be viewed as hate crime, consultant tells tribunal
Nurse Sandie Peggie was suspended after she complained about having to share a changing-room with transgender medic Dr Beth Upton at Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy, Fife, on Christmas Eve 2023. She was placed on special leave after Dr Upton made an allegation of bullying and harassment, and cited concerns about 'patient care'. Ms Peggie has lodged a claim against NHS Fife and Dr Upton, citing the Equality Act 2010, including sexual harassment; harassment related to a protected belief; indirect discrimination; and victimisation. Dr Maggie Currer, deputy clinical lead at NHS Fife, gave evidence to the tribunal in Dundee on Friday. She said she sent a 'need-to-know' email about the incident to five members of the senior leadership team on January 5, 2024 and suggested 'HR would be the most appropriate people to contact'. She disputed an assertion put to her by Jane Russell KC, representing NHS Fife and Dr Upton, that the health board 'permits staff to use facilities which align with gender identity'. Dr Currer said: 'That hasn't been my experience, I think it is considered on a case-by-case basis.' Her email described the Christmas Eve dispute as 'similar' to an incident of a patient racially abusing a doctor, the tribunal heard. Dr Currer said: 'My understanding is incidents of aggressive or abusive behaviour directed to anyone of a protected characteristic could be considered to be a hate crime.' She told the tribunal she believed she had been informed of the dispute as she had worked at NHS Fife for 15 years. Dr Currer said she was aware of Ms Peggie's gender-critical views as she had overheard her talking about them. She said: 'I was aware. I was aware by report, from directly overhearing. I have also heard Ms Peggie directly articulate those views. 'This is from memory and some time ago, but I have certainly heard Ms Peggie articulate that it was not possible to change your sex.' She said she first met Dr Upton during a teaching session and the junior doctor had made a disclosure about her trans identity. Dr Currer said: 'Dr Upton said to me, was I aware she was trans, she said she just wanted to let me know.' The consultant also said she had contacted equality lead Isla Bumba by telephone in August 2023 about Dr Upton's right to use female changing facilities. The tribunal continues.
