Latest news with #DarlingtonMemorialHospital
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Victory for Darlington nurses as they win landmark battle for a female-only hospital changing room
Eight pioneering nurses who formed their own union to defend the rights of women have won a landmark battle for a female-only changing room. The Darlington nurses launched a legal action saying transgender policies put them at risk, deprived them of dignity and breached their human rights. They claimed a biological male colleague identifying as a woman called Rose stared at their breasts as they were getting undressed and lingered too long in the changing room. One nurse had a panic attack after Rose repeatedly asked when they were alone, 'Are you getting changed yet?' Now, with their case heading to the courts, Health Secretary Wes Streeting has intervened, ordering Darlington Memorial Hospital to give the women their own room. One of them, Bethany Hutchison, said they 'hugely appreciate' the action 'to restore our safety and dignity in the workplace in line with the law'. And she said the nurses would not 'stop until this action is extended urgently to female workers across the NHS without any unnecessary delay'. The Darlington nurses sued their NHS trust a year ago, winning overwhelming support across the country. 'Millions of women stand with them,' said Their victory comes after it emerged last week that NHS chiefs have been forced to rip up their pro-trans guidance after it was rendered illegal by the Supreme Court. The NHS Confederation, which represents trusts, has quietly withdrawn guidance telling hospitals that they should allow trans people to use their chosen lavatories and changing rooms. A senior NHS England official visited Darlington Memorial Hospital unannounced last week and described the changing facilities for female staff as 'inadequate'. The official apologised to one of the Darlington nurses, promising to act 'with speed' by providing male, female and gender-neutral changing rooms, adding: 'We want you to feel comfortable and safe.' Last year, after raising concerns the nurses were told by HR that they needed to get 're-educated', 'compromise' and 'be more inclusive'. After the nurses publicised their claim, the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust gave them a 'temporary' office for changing into uniforms. However, supporters of the nurses said that the office had no lockers and opened on to a public corridor, resulting in the women branding it as 'dehumanising' and 'humiliating'. When their union was reluctant to lend its support, the eight nurses formed their own, the Darlington Nursing Union and submitted their proposals for a way forward to Mr Streeting. Their guidelines provided 'a fair and manageable way forward to protect safe single-sex spaces for all NHS staff in line with the equality law'. In addition, it respected the rights of those with the protected characteristic of 'gender reassignment', legally known as 'transexuals'. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch backed the nurses saying: 'A woman should never be forced to get undressed in the presence of a man. The case of the Darlington Nurses is yet another example of women being demonised and patronised for raising legitimate concerns about single-sex spaces.' Mr Streeting was forced to wait until after April's Supreme Court ruling that the word sex in the Equality Act means biological sex before making his latest intervention row. Last month it was revealed that even before the Supreme Court ruling, the Royal College of Nursing had written to the Darlington trust saying they were acting unlawfully. The letter ordered the trust to provide single-sex changing rooms 'without delay.' Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, said: 'A climate of fear has pervaded the system and many from top to bottom have been intimidated into silence and inaction. Equality and diversity policies have been weaponised to silence dissent and to prevent women's safety and dignity being protected in the workplace. 'We are grateful for the action from Wes Streeting and NHS England in this matter and pray that they will now quickly follow this through so that the nurses can return to the female changing rooms without delay.'
Telegraph
27-02-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
Nurses win battle to name trans colleague who was in their changing room
NHS nurses have won a legal battle to name a transgender colleague who used their female changing room. Rose Henderson can be named for the first time after a judge threw out an application for anonymity from the nurse. Sharon Langridge, an employment judge, ruled last week that there was no evidence for claims that reporting the full name would cause harm. The nurse, who was born male, lives as a woman but does not have a gender recognition certificate (GRC) and therefore remains a man under the law, a previous hearing was told. Eight nurses at Darlington Memorial Hospital are suing the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, their employer, for sexual discrimination and sexual harassment after Henderson was allowed to use a female changing room. 'Potential risk' of harm At a preliminary hearing last month, Simon Cheetham KC, representing the trust, applied for an order to be made that would prevent the reporting of Henderson's surname because of the 'potential risk' of harm. In a witness statement, Henderson said 'horrible' comments made online made 'me scared for my own safety'. The statement also cited media coverage about the case, which it was claimed had been 'amplified by extremely high profile individuals' such as JK Rowling. 'I fear that should my anonymity not be protected, this leaves me open to being targeted directly by people online, or potentially in person,' the witness statement read. Bruno Quintavalle, counsel for the nurses, opposed the anonymity application, arguing that it would prevent the nurses from being able 'to tell their own story'. 'It is the claimants' position… that far from being reduced to a state of fear and concern about his psychological or physical integrity, Rose has responded to the initiation of proceedings by trying to intimidate the nurses,' he said. 'The statements are unsupported' Judge Langridge last week ruled that 'no specific instances of the 'horrible comments' are set out in the witness statement, and no particular events are identified in support of the feeling of being at risk'. 'The statements are unsupported by anything concrete at all,' she said in her judgement. Judge Langridge added: 'Overall, I do not doubt the sincerity of RH's apprehension about being named in the media and potentially subjected to hostile attention, but it cannot be said that her evidence presents a clear and cogent case for departing from the principle of open justice. 'Some of the anxiety that RH expresses is likely already to be present in her life by the mere existence of the proceedings.' A full employment tribunal hearing is expected to begin on June 16 at Newcastle Employment Tribunal. 'Road to full justice' Speaking after the ruling, Bethany Hutchison, president of the Darlington Nursing Union (DNU), said the decision was 'an important win on the road to full justice'. 'This is not about Rose and is much bigger than Rose,' she said. 'This is about an untenable Stonewall inspired policy used across the NHS which allows men to use female changing rooms if they merely 'identify' as a woman. 'This policy puts women at risk, and yet no one in the NHS or the government appears able or prepared to do anything about it, so we have to fight this battle instead.' Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, said: 'Open Justice is a crucial legal principle, especially in such a high-profile case which has huge ongoing public debate, and engagement from the highest levels of government. 'This case is about truth, reality and whether a man can be a woman just because he says so. If we suppress access to open justice and media scrutiny on this case, we suppress the truth.'
