Nurses threaten to sue trust over behaviour of trans colleague
A group of nurses is considering legal action against an NHS trust for sexual harassment and sex discrimination, because of the behaviour of a transgender colleague in the female changing rooms.
The nurses are allegedly seeking to sue County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust with the support of the Christian Legal Centre and the linked campaign group Christian Concern.
“We are committed to working together with all parties to find a solution”
NHS trust spokesperson
The legal action is over the “intimidating and upsetting” situation that some of the nurses report has arisen as a result of the behaviour of a transgender colleague using the women’s changing room.
The nurses say they initially raised concerns with the human resources (HR) department at County Durham and Darlington in August 2023.
Then in March 2024 a letter detailing the nurses’ concerns was signed by 26 nurses and sent to the director of workforce at the trust, according to Christian Concern.
In the letter the nurses expressed concern about the use of the women’s changing facilities at the hospital by a fellow member of staff.
They claimed that the colleague in question had “taken a keen interest” in them while they were getting changed and had carried out other behaviour that they found unsettling.
The nurses wrote in the letter that they “expect the trust to treat [transgender staff] with respect and dignity” but that this did not “absolve the trust of its duty to those of us who find the current situation intolerable”.
In a meeting organised by the hospital’s head of HR, the nurses were allegedly then told that they needed to “broaden their mindset”, and to be more inclusive.
Andrea Williams, chief executive of Christian Concern and the Christian Legal Centre, said: “Telling educated, qualified and caring women that they need to be ‘re-educated’ and be more ‘inclusive’ for raising concerns about what is happening is deeply troubling,”
She said the nurses were now “refusing to be silenced”.
A spokesperson for County Durham and Darlington said it was taking the issues raised “very seriously” and that it was “committed to providing an inclusive and respectful work environment for all employees”.
“We would like to assure our employees and the wider community that as soon as these issues were brought to our attention, we initiated meetings to fully understand the needs and concerns of the staff members under our resolution policy,” added the spokesperson.
“We recognise that this is a hugely sensitive issue and as well as taking into consideration the feedback and concerns raised by the team, we are working to adhere to legal requirements and best practices.
“We are committed to working together with all parties to find a solution that respects the rights and dignity of all individuals while maintaining the highest standards of professionalism and fairness.”
