diff --git a/Framework/DataHandling/inc/MantidDataHandling/SaveNXSPE.h b/Framework/DataHandling/inc/MantidDataHandling/SaveNXSPE.h
index fbce5510abd0..c64c7035d1a2 100644
--- a/Framework/DataHandling/inc/MantidDataHandling/SaveNXSPE.h
+++ b/Framework/DataHandling/inc/MantidDataHandling/SaveNXSPE.h
@@ -63,6 +63,8 @@ class MANTID_DATAHANDLING_DLL SaveNXSPE final : public API::Algorithm {
   void init() override;
   /// Execution code
   void exec() override;
+  /// Validate Inputs code
+  std::map<std::string, std::string> validateInputs() override;
 
   // Some constants to be written for masked values.
   /// Value for data if pixel is masked
diff --git a/Framework/DataHandling/src/SaveNXSPE.cpp b/Framework/DataHandling/src/SaveNXSPE.cpp
index b0e0624fd646..11afeea34bb3 100644
--- a/Framework/DataHandling/src/SaveNXSPE.cpp
+++ b/Framework/DataHandling/src/SaveNXSPE.cpp
@@ -74,6 +74,15 @@ void SaveNXSPE::init() {
         See [[FindDetectorsPar]] description for the details.");
 }
 
+std::map<std::string, std::string> SaveNXSPE::validateInputs() {
+  std::map<std::string, std::string> issues;
+  std::string inputWS = getPropertyValue("InputWorkspace");
+  if (inputWS.find("/") != std::string::npos) {
+    issues["InputWorkspace"] = "The input workspace name cannot contain a '/' character.";
+  }
+  return issues;
+}
+
 /**
  * Execute the algorithm
  */
diff --git a/Framework/DataHandling/test/SaveNXSPETest.h b/Framework/DataHandling/test/SaveNXSPETest.h
index daa8a5c72b8d..c4fe758d0d5c 100644
--- a/Framework/DataHandling/test/SaveNXSPETest.h
+++ b/Framework/DataHandling/test/SaveNXSPETest.h
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 
 #include <cxxtest/TestSuite.h>
 
+#include "MantidAPI/AnalysisDataService.h"
 #include "MantidAPI/FrameworkManager.h"
 #include "MantidAPI/NumericAxis.h"
 #include "MantidDataHandling/LoadInstrument.h"
@@ -190,6 +191,20 @@ class SaveNXSPETest : public CxxTest::TestSuite {
       Poco::File(outputFile).remove();
   }
 
+  void test_WorkspaceNameData() {
+    auto saver = setupWithWSName("data");
+    TS_ASSERT_THROWS_NOTHING(saver->execute());
+    TS_ASSERT(saver->isExecuted());
+  }
+
+  void test_WorkspaceBadName() {
+    auto saver = setupWithWSName("bad/name");
+    TS_ASSERT_THROWS_EQUALS(saver->execute(), const std::runtime_error &e, std::string(e.what()),
+                            "Some invalid Properties found: \n"
+                            " InputWorkspace: The input workspace name cannot contain a \'/\' character.");
+    TS_ASSERT(!saver->isExecuted());
+  }
+
 private:
   MatrixWorkspace_sptr makeWS_direct(MatrixWorkspace_sptr inputWS, double ei = 12.0) {
     std::unique_ptr<Mantid::Kernel::PropertyWithValue<std::string>> mode(
@@ -305,4 +320,21 @@ class SaveNXSPETest : public CxxTest::TestSuite {
 
     return boost::make_tuple(dims, signal, error, efixed);
   }
+
+  SaveNXSPE *setupWithWSName(const std::string &workspaceName) {
+    MatrixWorkspace_sptr input = makeWorkspace();
+    Mantid::API::AnalysisDataService::Instance().add(workspaceName, input);
+
+    auto *saver = new SaveNXSPE();
+    saver->initialize();
+    saver->setChild(true);
+    TS_ASSERT_THROWS_NOTHING(saver->setProperty("InputWorkspace", workspaceName));
+    TS_ASSERT_EQUALS(saver->getPropertyValue("InputWorkspace"), workspaceName);
+    std::string outputFile("SaveNXSPETest_testEXEC.nxspe");
+    TS_ASSERT_THROWS_NOTHING(saver->setPropertyValue("Filename", outputFile));
+    outputFile = saver->getPropertyValue("Filename"); // get absolute path
+    TS_ASSERT_THROWS_NOTHING(saver->setProperty("Psi", 0.0));
+    TS_ASSERT_THROWS_NOTHING(saver->setProperty("KiOverKfScaling", true));
+    return saver;
+  }
 };
diff --git a/Framework/Nexus/inc/MantidNexus/nxstack.h b/Framework/Nexus/inc/MantidNexus/nxstack.h
index bb10b6674af4..5deeb0aa1c7e 100644
--- a/Framework/Nexus/inc/MantidNexus/nxstack.h
+++ b/Framework/Nexus/inc/MantidNexus/nxstack.h
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ void setCloseID(pFileStack self, const NXlink &id);
 
 int fileStackDepth(pFileStack self);
 
-void pushPath(pFileStack self, const char *name);
+void pushPath(pFileStack self, const char *name, bool isdata = false);
 void popPath(pFileStack self);
 int buildPath(pFileStack self, char *path, int pathlen);
 
diff --git a/Framework/Nexus/src/napi.cpp b/Framework/Nexus/src/napi.cpp
index e7868d8b9f18..9c429b276b8a 100644
--- a/Framework/Nexus/src/napi.cpp
+++ b/Framework/Nexus/src/napi.cpp
@@ -675,7 +675,7 @@ NXstatus NXopendata(NXhandle fid, CONSTCHAR *name) {
   status = LOCKED_CALL(pFunc->nxopendata(pFunc->pNexusData, name));
 
   if (status == NXstatus::NX_OK) {
-    pushPath(fileStack, name);
+    pushPath(fileStack, name, true);
   }
 
   char nxurl[1024];
diff --git a/Framework/Nexus/src/nxstack.cpp b/Framework/Nexus/src/nxstack.cpp
index e4f37319ca7c..135d46255b57 100644
--- a/Framework/Nexus/src/nxstack.cpp
+++ b/Framework/Nexus/src/nxstack.cpp
@@ -84,8 +84,8 @@ void setCloseID(pFileStack self, const NXlink &id) { self->fileStack[self->fileS
 /*----------------------------------------------------------------------*/
 int fileStackDepth(pFileStack self) { return self->fileStackPointer; }
 /*----------------------------------------------------------------------*/
-void pushPath(pFileStack self, const char *name) {
-  if (self->pathPointer >= 0 && name == self->pathStack[self->pathPointer]) {
+void pushPath(pFileStack self, const char *name, bool isdata) {
+  if (self->pathPointer >= 0 && name == self->pathStack[self->pathPointer] && isdata) {
     return;
   }
   self->pathPointer++;
diff --git a/Framework/Nexus/test/NeXusFileTest.h b/Framework/Nexus/test/NeXusFileTest.h
index 3f35e6880b08..5ab7d1c0c3ba 100644
--- a/Framework/Nexus/test/NeXusFileTest.h
+++ b/Framework/Nexus/test/NeXusFileTest.h
@@ -137,6 +137,20 @@ class NeXusFileTest : public CxxTest::TestSuite {
     TS_ASSERT_THROWS_NOTHING(file.makeGroup(grp, cls));
   }
 
+  void test_same_make_group() {
+    cout << "\ntest same makeGroup\n";
+    FileResource resource("test_nexus_file_grp.h5");
+    std::string filename = resource.fullPath();
+    NeXus::File file(filename, NXACC_CREATE5);
+
+    string grp("test_group");
+
+    // check that we can make '/test_group/test_group'
+    TS_ASSERT_THROWS_NOTHING(file.makeGroup(grp, "NXsample", true));
+    TS_ASSERT_THROWS_NOTHING(file.makeGroup(grp, "NXdata", true));
+    TS_ASSERT_EQUALS(file.getPath(), "/test_group/test_group");
+  }
+
   void test_open_group() {
     cout << "\ntest openGroup\n";
     FileResource resource("test_nexus_file_grp.h5");
diff --git a/buildconfig/CMake/CppCheck_Suppressions.txt.in b/buildconfig/CMake/CppCheck_Suppressions.txt.in
index cfc57328ec2a..b35a327551bf 100644
--- a/buildconfig/CMake/CppCheck_Suppressions.txt.in
+++ b/buildconfig/CMake/CppCheck_Suppressions.txt.in
@@ -291,7 +291,7 @@ constVariableReference:${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/Framework/DataHandling/src/SaveCanSAS
 uselessCallsSubstr:${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/Framework/DataHandling/src/SaveFocusedXYE.cpp:73
 constVariablePointer:${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/Framework/DataHandling/src/SaveGSS.cpp:432
 constVariablePointer:${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/Framework/DataHandling/src/SaveGSS.cpp:566
-constVariablePointer:${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/Framework/DataHandling/src/SaveNXSPE.cpp:324
+constVariablePointer:${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/Framework/DataHandling/src/SaveNXSPE.cpp:333
 constVariableReference:${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/Framework/DataHandling/src/SaveNXTomo.cpp:150
 knownConditionTrueFalse:${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/Framework/DataHandling/src/SaveNexusProcessed.cpp:572
 syntaxError:${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/Framework/DataObjects/inc/MantidDataObjects/MortonIndex/CoordinateConversion.h:109