Latest news with #NHSFife
Scottish Sun
12 hours ago
- Health
- Scottish Sun
Elderly patient's drinking water infested with ants during stay at Scots hospital
ANT SHOCK Elderly patient's drinking water infested with ants during stay at Scots hospital A HOSPITAL has been slammed after horrified loved ones spotted ants crawling in an elderly patient's drinking water. And they reckon the Parkinson's disease sufferer, 78, may have been left sipping insect-infested liquid for days. Advertisement 4 Shocking photos show the sickening scenes at Stratheden Hospital, in Cupar, Fife 4 Ant's were found in drinking water at the hospital. 4 Alastair Tarbett fears his elderly mother sipping insect-infested liquid. Credit Steve Welsh Credit: Steve Welsh The OAP's son, Alastair Tarbett, 44, shared shocking photos and videos with The Scottish Sun of the sickening scenes at Stratheden Hospital, in Cupar, Fife. He told how his dad, who we're not naming, had been admitted to the community unit for assessment. Alastair, of nearby Balmullo, said: 'When we visited, ants were crawling round the rim of his glass. It was disgusting. 'When I went there on another day, I saw three or four ants inside his plastic cup. Then I opened his sealed water bottle — and there were ants in there too. Advertisement 'My poor dad had been drinking from that bottle for two days, sucking up ants through his straw.' Alastair raised the alarm with staff on the hospital's Muirview Ward, who admitted the infestation was 'deplorable'. But he said he was still stamping on ants during visits two weeks later. He added: 'As soon as ants are crawling around patients' food and drink, a team should be out dealing with it immediately. It's just not good enough.' Advertisement An NHS Fife spokesman said: 'We apologise for any concern caused. Immediate action was taken to address the presence of ants. 'This issue affected only part of Muirview Ward and is likely linked to building works in the area.'
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Trans doctor receives counselling due to the 'incredible distress' of NHS gender tribunal
A trans doctor at the centre of a landmark employment tribunal has claimed the distress of giving evidence forced the medic to undergo counselling. Dr Beth Upton has defiantly spoke out to say 'trans people are not going anywhere' after revealing plans for the money raised by a crowdfunder. Dr Upton, who was born a man, and Fife Health Board are accused of breaching the Equality Act after forcing nurse Sandie Peggie to get changed alongside the trans medic. Mrs Peggie, 50, was suspended from her job at NHS Fife after challenging Dr Upton's presence in the women's only facilities at Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy. She has lodged a claim of sexual harassment, discrimination and victimisation at an employment tribunal. Although Dr Upton has given evidence to the tribunal, the medic has so far failed to comment on the proceedings outside of the court room. The 30-year-old has broken cover to tell supporters they should 'seize any chance to demonstrate that we're [trans people] here, we are loved, and we're not going anywhere'. In a message to those who donated almost £6,000 to a crowdfunder titled: 'Love and treats for Dr Beth Upton', the doctor on Wednesday said the tribunal had been 'incredibly distressing' but urged supporters not to give up the fight. The medic wrote: 'First, I want to say a huge thank you to everyone for your kindness and generosity. 'The whole experience has been incredibly distressing and knowing there are people out there who support me and my community means the world to me. 'While this has been a huge personal struggle, I think it's also important to acknowledge the wider context the case exists in and the potential for its effects to impact many in the trans community and beyond. 'I feel we should seize any chance to demonstrate that we're here, we are loved, and we're not going anywhere.' Dr Upton said half of the £5,807 raised for their cause would go towards paying for counselling and time taken off by the medic's wife. It is understood the doctor's legal fees are being covered by the taxpayer via the NHS's Central Legal Office. The doctor wrote: 'Both my wife and I have been blown away by the support shown by all of you and have carefully considered how best to use the funds raised through this thoughtful gesture. 'We believe it's important, given our position, to share that kindness with others. 'With that in mind, we intend to divide the money roughly into two, using half to cover our practical costs related to the tribunal and surrounding experience (e.g. counselling, loss of earnings for my wife, travel and accommodation) and the other half we intend to split amongst several local charities and community groups working to support vulnerable people. 'We must not forget that the rights we do have have been hard fought for and we must continue to fight for those rights and for the rights of others. We must remember that we know ourselves better than others can ever know us and nothing can change who we know ourselves to be.' The message was signed off by Dr Upton and Zoe, the medic's wife, with the words 'love and solidarity'. The employment hearing in Dundee, which will resume in July, was launched before last month's Supreme Court ruling that clarified that the meaning of 'sex' in equalities law refers solely to 'biological' sex. The nurse lodged a claim against the health board and Dr Upton, citing the Equality Act 2010, including sexual harassment, discrimination and victimisation. The Mail revealed last week how Mrs Peggie is also suing the Royal College of Nursing for failing to help her in her battle against Fife Health Board. An equivalent fundraiser for Mrs Peggie has garnered around £38,000 worth of donations - all of which is set to go to charity. Last night, Susan Smith of campaign group For Women Scotland said: 'Dr Upton continues to pretend he is the victim, saying the experience has been 'incredibly distressing' and a 'huge personal struggle'. 'Reading this, one might forget the distress caused to a female nurse who objected to his presence in the women's changing room, and the compromise to her dignity and privacy. 'As for a 'struggle', Ms Peggie has the weight of the NHS against her and was unsupported by her own Union. 'Dr Upton, backed by managers and senior colleagues, is certainly not the underdog in this sorry tale and, moreover, pushed the hospital to take action against Sandie.'
Sky News
4 days ago
- Health
- Sky News
NHS Fife rebuked by watchdog over handling of transgender row tribunal cost requests
NHS Fife failed to comply with its freedom of information duties over the costs of an employment tribunal, Scotland's Information Commissioner has ruled. The health board received three separate requests in March 2025 for the cost to date of the legal action, which was brought by nurse Sandie Peggie after her complaint about sharing a changing room with transgender medic Dr Beth Upton led to her suspension. She was suspended from Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy, Fife, in January 2024 after she objected to Dr Upton using the changing facilities in its A&E department on Christmas Eve 2023. Ms Peggie took the health board and Dr Upton to a tribunal, lodging a complaint of sexual harassment or harassment related to a protected belief under section 26 of the Equality Act 2010. The tribunal has been part heard, with proceedings set to continue in July. NHS Fife rejected all three freedom of information (FOI) requests, stating that the information requested was exempt under the FOI Act's exemption - which protects personal information. However, a probe by the Scottish Information Commissioner has revealed that when responding to the requests, NHS Fife did not actually have the information on which it based its reply. Information Commissioner David Hamilton said the details about costs was not obtained until later from the NHS Central Legal Office, and that the health board should have replied on the basis of information it did hold at the time of the requests. Mr Hamilton ordered the health board to carry out fresh searches for information it did "actually hold" at the time, and to issue revised responses in line with what it finds. The commissioner also disputed NHS Fife's claim the cost data would be exempt from disclosure on the basis set out, and called on it to "exercise caution" when considering related exemptions around any additional information found. Mr Hamilton described the matter as "frustrating" both for himself and for those who were seeking the information from the health board. "In the circumstances, I am only able to require that NHS Fife carry out further searches to identify all information held at the time the request was made and then issue a revised response to the requesters," he said. "The delays that have arisen as a result were wholly avoidable, and I would urge that all public authorities ensure their responses to FOI requests are based on information they actually hold." A spokesperson for the health board said: "NHS Fife notes the report from the Scottish Information Commissioner and intends to comply fully with its decision notice."
Spectator
4 days ago
- Health
- Spectator
NHS Fife under fire over failure to reveal costs of trans tribunal
To NHS Fife, which is once again making headlines for all the wrong reasons. The Scottish health board has been slammed by the country's information tsar for failing to publish its spend on an ongoing employment tribunal brought against it by nurse Sandie Peggie. Whatever happened to transparency, eh? After nurse Peggie questioned a transgender doctor for using the female changing rooms, she was suspended by the Scottish health board. The move pushed her to bring a landmark tribunal against NHS Fife and Dr Beth Upton for harassment and discrimination and prompting heated discussion about what the Equality Act says about the provision of single-sex spaces. But when investigators approached the health board about the money spent on the tribunal, NHS Fife refused to be drawn – as the Spectator noted at the time. Instead, the Scottish health board said it had 'no indication of costs'. This hasn't satisfied Scottish Information Commissioner David Hamilton, however, who has ruled that NHS Fife has failed to comply with the law.
The Courier
4 days ago
- Health
- The Courier
EXCLUSIVE: Maximum NHS Fife payout to nurse at centre of trans tribunal revealed
The highest sum NHS Fife will have to pay the nurse at the centre of the trans row employment tribunal, if she wins her case, is £25,000. Kirkcaldy medic Sandie Peggie is suing the health board after she was suspended following a row with trans doctor Beth Upton on Christmas Eve in 2023. No settlement has been reached between the two parties. According to details obtained by The Courier under Freedom of Information laws, the five-figure sum is the absolute maximum NHS Fife would be liable for. If Ms Peggie is to be awarded more than £25,000, the rest of the money will come from a national risk scheme designed to protect NHS boards from heavy losses. The Courier reported in March that the health board was only responsible for 'part' of the legal bill for the hearing. We can also reveal NHS Fife has spent a total of £184,000 this year on six separate employment tribunals, covering legal fees and any settlements. NHS Fife refused to say how much it has spent on Ms Peggie's tribunal, meaning the overall cost remains unknown. On Wednesday, the health board was criticised by Scottish Information Commissioner David Hamilton for its 'poor handling' of FOI requests linked to spending. Mr Hamilton said he was 'frustrated' by NHS Fife's approach which had led to an 'unnecessary delay'. He ruled that the health board failed to do any proper checks to find the information requested. NHS Fife previously claimed it could not provide the total sum spent on the case because this would disclose personal information. Mr Hamilton disagreed. 'The commissioner cannot accept that the specific information requested can be the personal data of either of the individuals party to the tribunal,' he wrote. 'The costs are the authority's, not theirs.' A spokesperson for NHS Fife said: 'NHS Fife notes the report from the Scottish Information Commissioner and intends to comply fully with its decision notice.' In January 2024, we reported that NHS Fife's total costs on legal claims had passed £1.8 million in five years. The health board had to spend more than £180,000 on one single claim by a patient. The NHS Fife trans row employment tribunal in Dundee is set to resume on July 16.
