Sandie Peggee, a veteran nurse, takes the Royal College of Nursing to court, saying the union ignored her gender‑critical concerns and left her unsupported during disciplinary proceedings.
On Christmas Eve 2023 at Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy, 52-year-old nurse Sandie Peggee found herself at the centre of a heated confrontation in the women’s changing room with Dr Beth Upton a transgender doctor who was assigned male at birth.
The incident triggered a suspension for Peggee and set off a chain of legal battles that have now reached a second employment tribunal in Dundee.
Following the altercation, the health board initiated disciplinary action. A first tribunal held in December 2025 upheld four of Peggee’s harassment claims against NHS Fife but dismissed every allegation directed at Dr Upton, as well as claims of discrimination, indirect discrimination and victimisation.
An appeal against those dismissals remains pending.
Union involvement and alleged neglect
Peggee turned to the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) for assistance shortly after her suspension, contacting union representative Stuart Fraser in January 2024. In testimony before the Dundee tribunal, she recalled feeling that Fraser treated her complaint as a routine disciplinary matter rather than a serious grievance rooted in her gender-critical beliefs.
“I felt like he thought I was being disciplined because I had done something wrong,” she told the judge.
During a subsequent phone call – recorded by the union as lasting 40 minutes, though Peggee estimates it was closer to ten – Fraser sent a note comparing Dr Upton’s use of the women’s changing room to “when they put a man in a female prison”. The memo concluded with “Advised will open case”. Fraser later suggested that Peggee’s reference to the transgender rapist Isla Bryson was the main catalyst for her suspension.
In a May 2024 letter drafted by Peggee’s solicitor Margaret Gribbon the nurse disclosed a traumatic personal history: at age 17, around 1998 she had been sexually assaulted multiple times by her GP. The letter argued that this history made the prospect of sharing a changing area with a biological male who identifies as a woman especially distressing. According to Peggee, Fraser never asked about this disclosure.
Political outreach and external support
Feeling let down by the union, Peggee sought assistance from her local MP, Neale Hanvey who testified earlier in the tribunal. Hanvey connected her with two gender-critical organisations – Sex Matters and For Women Scotland – to reinforce what he described as deficiencies in the RCN’s handling of the case.
Through Sex Matters, Peggee learned the legal relevance of her “gender-critical” stance. She later told the tribunal that her understanding of the term solidified after speaking with the group’s chief executive, Maya Forstater in early 2024. The campaign group subsequently described Peggee’s situation as having “significant strategic importance”.
Peggee also asked the RCN to request formal assurances from NHS Fife that staff could discuss single-sex spaces without fear of retaliation, citing the Equality Act 2010. She requested that the union circulate this request to every NHS Fife employee – a step the RCN did not take.
Current Dundee tribunal proceedings
The second tribunal, presided over by Employment Judge Melanie Sangster began on 23 September 2026 in Dundee and is set to run over several days. In opening statements, Peggee reiterated that she loved her A&E role and had no desire to transfer to the Minor Injuries Unit, a move suggested by NHS Fife during a March 2024 suspension review meeting.
She described the union’s behaviour as “pushing” her toward a department change and said, “I felt not supported. I feel like people were taking the doctor’s side rather than mine.” Peggee also highlighted that the RCN’s internal communications – including emails from a different RCN representative, Gillian Tait between June and December 2025 – often landed in her junk folder, delaying her awareness of available legal advice.
The RCN’s counsel, David Hay KC challenged Peggee on several points, including whether her claim against former RCN policy officer Lisa Mackenzie hinged on a missed copy of correspondence to NHS Fife staff. He also cited a BBC interview where Peggee said she was not a “campaigner” and only later adopted the label after support from Sex Matters.
Beyond Peggee’s testimony, the tribunal will hear from former RCN Scotland policy officer Lisa Mackenzie and two RCN members, Jenny Wilmot and Pauline Fox who are pursuing their own belief-discrimination claims against the union. The entire hearing is expected to last seven days.
