County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust has paid £187,000 in damages to seven nurses and formally apologised after an employment tribunal found it failed to protect women's single-sex spaces. The trust also withdrew its transitioning in the workplace policy and pledged to provide separate changing facilities for biological men and women. Final legal costs, which already total £603,000 spent by the trust defending its position, will be decided at a future hearing.
The Magnificent Seven's Legal Battle
The nurses—Bethany Hutchison, Lisa Lockey, Karen Danson, Tracy Hooper, Annice Grundy, Carly Hoy, and Jane Peveller—worked on a day care ward at Darlington Memorial Hospital. They took action after a biological male nurse who identifies as female allegedly loitered while they changed. Known as The Magnificent Seven, their case was backed by author J.K. Rowling. Four of the seven still face Nursing and Midwifery Council misconduct proceedings.
Trust Apology and Policy Changes
The trust apologised, stating: 'We recognise we have a responsibility to provide a safe, respectful and inclusive working environment for everyone and the tribunal's findings make clear that we did not get this right for you, for which the trust expresses its sincere apologies.' It added: 'We also acknowledge that in our decision making, we did not adequately consider your concerns, formally or informally and we sincerely regret that we were unable to get this right. In light of the judgment, we have reviewed our policies and the changes that have already been put in place.'
Legal and Political Implications
The settlement follows a landmark employment tribunal victory and an April 2025 Supreme Court ruling that the definition of woman and sex in the 2010 Equality Act refers to biological sex. Despite this, individual NHS trusts had implemented differing policies. Andrea Williams, Chief Executive of the Christian Legal Centre which represented the women, called it 'a landmark victory for these courageous nurses who refused to back down despite extraordinary pressure from an NHS that has fought with everything it has to allow men into women's changing rooms.' She urged the Health Secretary to ensure the law on single-sex spaces is upheld across the NHS.
Nurses' Statement
Bethany Hutchison, who led the legal victory, said: 'We have done this, not just for ourselves, but for our colleagues who were too afraid or unable to speak up, and for every woman and girl in the country. We raised our concerns because we believed something was seriously wrong, not just for us, but for the protection of all women in the NHS. Instead of being listened to, we were ignored, labelled, and subjected to pressure and intimidation. This outcome is a vindication of our stand for dignity, privacy, and common sense.'
