Nurse at centre of gender storm takes action against union
Sandie Peggie was suspended from her job in 2024 after she complained about having to share a changing room with transgender medic Dr Beth Upton.
Ms Peggie was later placed on special leave after a complaint of bullying and harassment by Dr Upton, but was cleared by an NHS Fife investigation earlier this week.
The suspension led to an employment tribunal this year, in which Ms Peggie launched a claim against Dr Upton and NHS Fife, citing the Equality Act 2010, including sexual harassment, harassment related to a protected belief, indirect discrimination and victimisation.
On Saturday, the Herald reported that Ms Peggie had taken legal action against the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), claiming it failed to support her after her suspension, which the union denies.
'The RCN's failure to act like a trade union ought to has contributed to Sandie Peggie's mistreatment,' Ms Peggie's lawyer Margaret Gribbon said in a statement.
'They have repeatedly failed to exercise their industrial muscle to advocate for female members distressed because they are being deprived of genuine single-sex spaces to dress and undress at work.
'Had the RCN fulfilled the conventional role of a trade union, it is less likely that Sandie would have faced the ordeal of an 18-month disciplinary process and having to raise legal proceedings against Fife Health Board.'
The paper reported that Ms Peggie will be taking action for unlawful discrimination.
An RCN spokesperson told the newspaper: 'We have responded to the claim, and we deny all the allegations from Ms Peggie.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
'I'm utterly lost': Patients' anger over doctors strike cancellations
The resident doctors strike in England has begun after a dispute over pay between the government and the British Medical Association (BMA). Thousands of doctors are walking out over five days, with Health Secretary Wes Streeting insisting that disruption will be kept to a minimum. But several NHS patients have told the BBC they fear their conditions could become worse after delays to scheduled procedures, while some have also expressed sympathy over the concerns the doctors are raising. Peter Plant, 58, of Tamworth, who has kidney cancer, said his surgery to remove the organ on Friday was cancelled on Thursday morning. The operation has been rescheduled for 20 August, but he fears the delay could be a "death sentence". "Resident doctors do not care that delaying operations like mine are very likely a death sentence," he said. "I'm absolutely angry and frustrated. It is not just about me, it's about our whole family. "You try and gear yourself up for it and then it's utter deflation." Mr Plant said he and his family had been living in "limbo" and that he felt "utterly lost". "Wes Streeting says he has told hospitals to carry on as normal and they're clearly not," he added. Official figures have not yet been released on the impact of the strike. Some hospitals are reporting more than 80% of their non-urgent work is still being carried out. Previous walkouts have led to mass cancellations of operations, appointments and treatments: more than one million were cancelled during resident doctor strikes in March 2023 and routine care was cut by half at some hospitals. 'My three-year-old needs surgery now' Hassnain Shahid, from Bradford, said his three-year-old daughter urgently needed lung surgery but it had been indefinitely postponed - despite medical warnings about the risks of delay. "It's been an emotional rollercoaster and it's very frustrating for us," Mr Shahid said. Mr Shahid's daughter has Congenital Pulmonary Airway Malformation (CPAM), a rare lung condition. He said consultants told him surgery was urgent and that it was important it took place in the summer when there was less chance his daughter could catch a cold. "Now we've been told the surgery has been cancelled and they have no availability - not even in September," he said. "They were the ones that said she needed to have it done. "I understand why the doctors are striking, but when you take this path and you go to university you know how much you're going to earn - if you're not happy with the pay, look at an alternative career." Repeated delays to surgery Sarah, a patient from the north-west of England, said she was due to have a hysterectomy - an operation to remove her uterus - on Monday but it had been cancelled for a second time. "They don't have a rescheduled date for me at this time," she said. "It's very hard when you have been mentally preparing yourself for major surgery, especially as I was first told that I needed one in November 2024." Andrew Mundy, 58, from Lincoln, expressed fears that repeated delays to his tendon surgery could leave him permanently injured. He injured his knee in early February and was given an initial date for surgery at the end of May, which he said was cancelled because the consultant was on holiday. The surgery was rearranged for Friday but was cancelled because of the strike, he said. "I am furious and aware that every delay in surgery will make the chances of a successful repair even less likely," he said. "It is not fair that I may never recover from this injury due to delays in treatment. "It's frustrating because [the NHS] say that they are not cancelling stuff and things are running as normal, but they are cancelling stuff." Michele, from Somerset, has been waiting three years for spinal surgery. She has been told her appointment, which had been scheduled for Thursday, has been cancelled, which she believes is down to the strikes. Michele said she suffers "constant" and "relentless" nerve pain down the left side of her body. "I feel I've been let down, I feel like I'm not worth it. It's knocked me," she said. Michele said she had taken sick leave from work for more than a fortnight, having already taken a step back from her leadership role to work part-time from home due to the pain. "It's got to the point so I can't even do that now. It's really affecting my life," she added. John Dixon, 81, from the Isle of Wight, said he found out that his knee operation scheduled for Friday at Southampton General Hospital was cancelled with just three hours' notice. Mr Dixon said he was already on the ferry to Southampton when he received a call from the hospital informing him of the cancellation. "How can the NHS treat patients like this?" he said. "They must have [had] a good idea [on Thursday] without letting people go on long journeys just to return home." Michael Overson, from Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, has been waiting three years for a knee operation and found out on Friday his surgery, which had been scheduled for Tuesday, had been cancelled. Mr Overson is a delivery driver for a national supermarket chain and says the delay means he will have to "continue living and working in pain". "This places me in limbo as I have no idea when it'll be rearranged. I can't plan anything," he said. "The increased costs the strikes cause only causes greater harm to the NHS." Dr Tom Dolphin, the chairman of the BMA, said before the action began that "we are very sorry that strikes have become necessary". "Of course if people have emergencies or need urgent care they should still present to the hospital or their GP as usual, as they always would," he said. "Striking is something that doctors don't want to have to do." Additional reporting by Bernadette McCague, Mary Litchfield, Rozina Sini and Kris Bramwell NHS faces challenging few days during doctors strike, warns Streeting Why are resident doctors striking and what are they paid?
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Free summer swimming lessons for 6,000 children
More than 6,000 children across Wiltshire will be eligible for free swimming lessons this summer as part of a pilot scheme. The lessons have been made available to children who are part of Wiltshire Council's FUEL programme, as well as pupils in secondary schools who received free school meals. Up to 10 lessons will be provided at council-run leisure centres with a pool, such as Marlborough Leisure Centre and Calne Community Campus. Councillor Jon Hubbard, cabinet member for education at Wiltshire Council, said "a few pennies behind the sofa" helped pay for the scheme. More news stories for Wiltshire Listen to the latest news for Wiltshire Mr Hubbard told BBC Radio Wiltshire the extra money for the swimming lessons cost £45,000, and money had been used from Public Health England funding and the children's services budget. "For some of our young people who have six or seven weeks at home without school, having these positive and fun activities for them to go and take part in is a really important thing we offer", he said. "I want them to have fun. I want them to have positive activities to be able to look back on and say, 'that was a really cracking time we've had'. "And to have made new friendships, had a positive experience and something they can build happy memories." He said schools would have told parents whether they were eligible, and sent out an invitation for the FUEL programme. Parents of children eligible for free school meals needed to show proof of the entitlement at a pool. A full list of the swimming pools at which the lessons will be held can be found here: Bradford on Avon Calne Community Campus Devizes Leisure Centre Durrington Swimming and Fitness Centre Five Rivers Health and Wellbeing Centre Lime Kiln Leisure Centre, Royal Wootton Bassett Marlborough Leisure Centre Melksham Community Campus Olympiad Leisure Centre, Chippenham Springfield Community Campus, Corsham The Activity Zone, Malmesbury The Vale Community Campus, Pewsey Tidworth Leisure Centre Trowbridge Sports Centre Warminster Sports Centre Westbury Pool Wiltshire Council said the scheme would be reviewed in autumn after it finished. Follow BBC Wiltshire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. More on this story Health Hydro pool work is almost completed Soldiers beat choppy waters in Channel swim Nature reserve to be 'transformed' with £100k boost Related Internet Links Wiltshire Council
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
'Deep reservations' over leafy Midlands village housing plans as 'besieged' residents speak out
A West Midlands MP has expressed "deep reservations" over proposed developments around Hockley Heath in Solihull. There are a number of ongoing development proposals surrounding the leafy West Midlands village - with some submitted to the council and others under consultation ahead of being proposed. Meriden and Solihull East MP Saqib Bhatti spoke of his "deep reservations" around the proposed developments, which could bring a significant number of extra homes to the "tranquil" village. READ MORE: Residents of 'tranquil' West Midlands village feel 'besieged' at housing plans READ MORE: HMO extension appeal thrown out by inspectors Some plans are yet to be submitted to the council as they are undergoing public consultation through developers, but if later approved, would bring hundreds of new homes to Hockley Heath. In addition to plans to be submitted to Solihull Council, there are proposals from the south Warwickshire side of Hockley Heath that are also worrying villagers. Hockley Heath villager Peter Sylvester told BirminghamLive: "Hockley Heath forms part of the green belt between the Dorridge/Knowle conurbation and Solihull and if the developments that we are seeing proposed at the moment, that will convert us from a green belt location to a town in its own right, which means we will lose the complete split between the green belt and the buildings." The 73-year-old added: "We are not against new houses. "We don't want to be NIMBYS we have to be realistic but we have to say crikey, how are we going to do this? "We appreciate that we have to play our part but this is overwhelming. "You feel as if you are being besieged from north and south." Peter helped set up Hockley Heath Action Group at the start of July and it now has some 185 members. Saqib Bhatti, Member of Parliament for Meriden and Solihull East, also met with residents of Hockley Heath, attending a meeting with Hockley Heath Action Group on Thursday July 17. Responding to concerns, Mr Bhatti said: 'I was pleased to meet with residents at a meeting hosted by Hockley Heath Parish Council, to express my deep reservations about the proposed developments around Hockley Heath. "This follows a meeting I attended in February, earlier this year. 'My constituents in Hockley Heath and I are in lockstep in our belief that these planning proposals could have a significant impact on the local greenbelt. "We also agree that the Government's National Planning Policy Framework is gravely unfair – putting enormous pressures on rural communities whilst leaving urban areas like Birmingham criminally undeveloped. 'I will continue to work tirelessly with my constituents to protect our precious greenbelt, preserve our natural environment and ensure that the people of Hockley Heath are treated fairly and with consideration.' A Solihull Council spokesperson told BirminghamLive: "We are aware that these sites, along with many others, have been submitted via our Call for Sites exercise over the winter. "The Council will be reviewing all sites to determine which may be appropriate to be included in the draft Local Plan. 'The Call for Sites is a land availability exercise, and it does not necessarily mean that sites are suitable for development. 'The council is also aware of the proposals within the South Warwickshire plan and will continue to engage with the neighbouring authorities as these plans evolve.' You can read more of what Hockley Heath residents have to say in our report, here.
