A NURSE has been cleared of misconduct after complaining about a transgender doctor using a female changing room.
Sandie Peggie was suspended after she objected to having to share a changing room with Dr Beth Upton at the NHS Fife hospital where they both worked in Scotland.
AlamySandie Peggie beamed today after being cleared of misconduct[/caption]
GettySandie Peggie, pictured, was suspended after she complained about having to share a changing room with a transgender doctor[/caption]
AlamyDr Upton made an allegation of bullying and harassment[/caption]
Ms Peggie was facing allegations of misconduct, failures of patient care and misgendering Dr Upton.
None of them were upheld in an internal disciplinary hearing.
The nurse was suspended from work at the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy, Fife, on January 3, 2024 after Dr Upton made an allegation of bullying and harassment.
In a statement, Ms Peggie’s solicitor Margaret Gribbon said: “On Tuesday 14 July, 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 25 June, 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.”
It comes as an employment tribunal brought by Ms Peggie against the health board is set to resume on Wednesday.
She took the health board and Dr Upton to tribunal, lodging a complaint of sexual harassment or harassment related to a protected belief under section 26 of the Equality Act 2010 regarding three incidents when they shared a changing room: indirect harassment, victimisation and whistleblowing.
Employment tribunal hearings took place in Dundee in February and were then adjourned until July.
The tribunal 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”, a ruling which has been publicly welcomed by Ms Peggie.
The hearing starts again today in Dundee and is expected to last 11 days.
Last week, it emerged that NHS Fife has spent more than £220,000 defending itself in the employment tribunal.
The extent of the cost was uncovered following an intervention by Scotland’s information commissioner.
PAIt comes as an employment tribunal brought by Ms Peggie against the health board is set to resume on Wednesday[/caption]
AlamyDr Beth Upton leaves a tribunal hearing[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
