Female Nurses Win Employment Case: NHS Changing Room Dispute
- Seven female nurses at Darlington Memorial Hospital in County Durham, England, experienced harassment after raising concerns about a transgender colleague using the women's changing room, an employment tribunal...
- Judge Sweeney found that County Durham and Darlington NHS foundation trust violated the nurses' dignity and created a "unfriendly, intimidating, humiliating and degrading habitat" by allowing Rose henderson,...
- The tribunal heard testimony that the nurses felt uncomfortable sharing the space with Henderson, and one nurse alleged Henderson repeatedly questioned her about her intentions.
Nurses at Darlington Memorial Hospital Faced Harassment Over Trans Colleague’s Changing Room Access, Tribunal Finds
Seven female nurses at Darlington Memorial Hospital in County Durham, England, experienced harassment after raising concerns about a transgender colleague using the women’s changing room, an employment tribunal judge ruled on Friday, January 16, 2026.
Judge Sweeney found that County Durham and Darlington NHS foundation trust violated the nurses’ dignity and created a “unfriendly, intimidating, humiliating and degrading habitat” by allowing Rose henderson, a trans woman, to use the female changing facilities without providing suitable alternatives for objecting staff.
The tribunal heard testimony that the nurses felt uncomfortable sharing the space with Henderson, and one nurse alleged Henderson repeatedly questioned her about her intentions. The judge’s ruling stated the trust also harassed the nurses by dismissing their concerns and suggesting they needed “education on trans rights.”
“the trust subjected the claimants to harassment related to sex and gender reassignment by permitting the claimants’ biological male, trans woman colleague to use the female changing room and requiring the claimants to share that changing room without providing suitable alternative facilities,” Judge Sweeney wrote in the judgment.
the tribunal’s decision highlights the complexities of balancing inclusivity with the concerns of employees regarding single-sex spaces.Further details regarding remedies for the nurses are expected to be persistent in a subsequent hearing.