A nurse who was suspended for calling a transgender paedophile ‘Mr’ while treating them as a patient could be sacked for speaking out about the ordeal.
Jennifer Melle, 40, was disciplined by St Helier Hospital in Carshalton, Surrey, after refusing to use the pronouns of the individual, who was convicted of child sex offences, during an incident in May 2024.
In October that year, she was referred to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) as a ‘potential risk’ for allegedly breaching its conduct policy, which states nurses should not express their beliefs ‘to people in an inappropriate way’.
The senior nurse, who served at St Helier hospital for twelve years, was later escorted from the premises during a shift and immediately suspended for allegedly speaking out about her treatment last year.
She told the Mail on Sunday, who broke the story, at the time: ‘I am devastated to have been suspended just for whistleblowing. Despite being the one placed at risk, I am the one being punished.’
Ms Melle now faces a disciplinary hearing with her employer on Tuesday, where she will be informed of the action against her, which could mean she loses her job.
A previous hearing was scheduled to take place in December, but was cancelled following an intervention from shadow equalities minister Claire Coutinho, who warned any action would be a ‘great injustice’.
The Tory MP has also launched a petition calling for Epsom and St Helier NHS Trust to halt the disciplinary process and allow Ms Melle to return to work.
Ms Melle said she was ‘deeply moved’ by people’s support, adding: ‘This petition shows that people of all parties believe in fairness and truth.
‘I have always sought to provide the highest standard of care to every patient, but I cannot compromise reality or my faith. I pray that the Trust will do the right thing and allow me to return to the job I love.’
She has also garnered support from Harry Potter author JK Rowling and Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, who said no one ‘should be punished at work for stating biological reality to paedophiles’.
Ms Melle previously said this period has been one of ‘the darkest of my life,’ marked by fear, anxiety, and uncertainty as a single mother facing the potential loss of her livelihood.
She also faces a full Employment Tribunal hearing in April this year after filing a claim against the Trust for harassment, discrimination, victimisation, and breaches of her freedom of thought, conscience, and religion.
Her case follows the landmark tribunal decision on Friday in favour of seven Darlington nurses who launched a challenge against a transgender woman being allowed to use their changing room.
The explosive ruling ripped apart County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust’s trans policy, with the trust being accused of breaching the nurses’ human rights.
It also piled pressure on equalities minister Bridget Phillipson to speed up the introduction of guidance on single–sex spaces to the NHS across England.
The dispute began in May after the senior nurse had been discussing using a catheter on her patient, a paedophile
The patient took issue with her use of the word ‘Mr’, prompting the nurse to explain, ‘Sorry, I cannot refer to you as ‘her’ or ‘she’, as it’s against my faith and Christian values, but I can call you by your name.’
The patient then subjected her to a racially and religiously aggravated assault, flew into a rage and used the n-word three times.
Ms Melle was investigated and disciplined by the hospital later that year and referred to the Nursing and Midwifery Council, which states that nurses should not express their personal beliefs.
Andrea Williams, Chief Executive of the Christian Legal Centre, said Ms Melle had been disciplined ‘for nothing more than believing and expressing a basic truth, that men are men and women are women, a conviction rooted in her Christian faith’.
She added: ‘Following the win in the Darlington nurses’ case, the Trust should immediately end the disciplinary process against Jennifer and reinstate her to the job she loves.
‘The issue is not complex, the law is not complex. The Trust just needs to do the right thing and follow the law.’
A spokesperson for Epsom and St Helier 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 Miss Melle had this experience, and we issued a written warning to this patient, but we expect all staff to maintain patient confidentiality at all times.’
