Sandie Peggie appeals NHS Fife tribunal ruling

Legal representatives for Sandie Peggie have announced an appeal against an employment tribunal judgment involving NHS Fife. The case centers on whether the health board lawfully permitted a transgender medic, Dr Beth Upton, to use women’s changing rooms at Kirkcaldy’s Victoria Hospital in December 2023.

While a previous tribunal ruling upheld claims of harassment against the employer, it dismissed allegations of discrimination, indirect discrimination, and victimisation. Ms Peggie’s legal team argues that the tribunal applied the “wrong legal analysis” regarding the lawfulness of the changing room access and that the judgment “wrongly concluded” the legality of the arrangements during specific timeframes.

The appeal further contends that the initial ruling reduced the protection afforded to the nurse’s rights under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), specifically regarding freedom of thought, conscience, religion, and expression. A hearing is expected to take place in early 2025.