NHS nurse who called trans paedophile prisoner ‘Mr’ wins settlement
13 April 2026
Jennifer Melle, an NHS nurse from south London, has reached a settlement with her Trust after being suspended for refusing to use a transgender patient’s preferred pronouns — a decision she says was rooted in her Christian faith.
Ms Melle, who has worked as a nurse for 12 years, was suspended and disciplined after speaking publicly about the abuse and treatment she says she experienced from both the patient and her employer. In May 2024, she was discussing care options with a convicted paedophile who identifies as transgender and was being held in a high-security men’s prison, when the patient objected to her use of pronouns.
The patient took issue with being referred to as “Mr”, despite being recorded as male on medical records. Ms Melle explained that she could not use the patient’s preferred pronouns due to her Christian faith, but offered to refer to the patient by name instead.
She said: “Sorry, I cannot refer to you as ‘her’ or ‘she’, as it is against my faith and Christian values, but I can call you by your name.”
According to Ms Melle, the patient responded with a tirade of racial abuse, including repeated use of the N-word, and physically lunged at her.
Despite this, Ms Melle was subsequently investigated and disciplined, receiving a final written warning. She was also accused of breaching patient confidentiality after speaking to the media, with the Trust claiming the patient could have been identified from press reports.
She was additionally reported to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) over alleged breaches of its professional code of conduct, which states that nurses must not express personal beliefs “in an inappropriate way, including for religious reasons”.
As a result, Ms Melle had been preparing to bring a case against Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust at an Employment Tribunal, alleging harassment and discrimination. The case has now been settled following her return to work in January.
Ms Melle said: “I cannot discuss the terms of the settlement, but I am glad my employer has finally extended an olive branch. I look forward to focusing on the job I love, instead of defending myself against various bizarre accusations.
“It should never have come to this. No nurse or medical professional should face what I have faced simply for telling the truth, doing their job, and reporting racist abuse and physical threats from a patient.”
She described the period as “the darkest days of my life”, adding that it is “still far from over” as she continues to face two ongoing NMC investigations.
A spokesperson for Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust said: “Racial abuse of our staff is never acceptable, nor is discussing a patient’s private medical information publicly. We are sorry that Ms Melle had this experience and we issued a written warning to the patient, but we expect all staff to maintain patient confidentiality at all times.”
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