An NHS trust has paid out £187,000 in damages following an employment tribunal ruling that it harassed seven nurses by requiring them to share a changing room with a transgender woman. The County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust was found to have created a "hostile environment" for nurses who raised objections to Rose Henderson, who was born male and identifies as a woman, using the single-sex changing rooms.
One of the nurses involved, Bethany Hutchison, who is president of the Darlington Nursing Union, stated that the nurses had voiced their concerns to protect women but instead faced "pressure and intimidation." Hutchison described the tribunal's outcome as a "vindication of our stand for dignity, privacy, and common sense." She added, "We hope it ensures that no woman is ever again made to feel unsafe in her workplace for speaking the truth."
Steve Russell, the trust's CEO, acknowledged that the trust's approach should have been different and expressed regret for the "impact this has had on the colleagues involved."