A Christian Nurse who was warned for using incorrect pronouns to address a transgender inmate patient has settled her case against the NHS Trust.

Jennifer Melle, who came to the UK from Uganda but currently resides in Croydon, South London, stated that she was racially abused in May 2024 after referring to a transgender inmate patient (who was born a biological male and listed as male on his medical record) as ‘Mister’. Ms Melle was given a written warning at the time of the incident and continued in her role, whilst Epsom and St Helier Hospitals NHS Trust also wrote to the patient, warning them that racist and threatening language was not tolerated.

However, Ms Melle was subsequently given a 10-month suspension with full pay and removed from duty due to speaking publicly with the media regarding her experience in March 2025. The Trust has stated that this was due to the growing concern that patient confidentiality could potentially have been breached as the patient’s appearance, diagnosis and treatment were shared, forming the possibility that the patient could be identified. However, there was no evidence presented by the Trust that the patient had actually been identified at any stage.

Following this, Ms Melle issued proceedings against the Trust and her case was due to be heard in the Employment Tribunal in April. She claimed that she had experienced harassment, direct discrimination and indirect discrimination linked to her gender-critical and evangelical Christian beliefs.

Before the Hearing could proceed, the parties achieved a settlement. This settlement was reached in spite of the fact that Ms Melle had already been reinstated to clinical duties in January following a private disciplinary meeting which ruled she would face no further action over the alleged breach.

Consequently, Ms Melle stated, “I look forward to being able to focus on the job I love instead of defending myself against various bizarre accusations.” She also commented that, “It should have never come to this. No nurse or other medical professionals should ever have to face what I have faced simply for telling the truth, doing their job, and reporting racist abuse and physical threats from a patient.”

Despite the case settling, Ms Melle still faces ongoing investigations by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), as she was reported in May 2024 for informing a patient that she could not, “refer to you as ‘her’ or ‘she’, as it’s against my faith and Christian values, but I can call you by your name.”

Due to the sensitive nature of this case, it has drawn national political attention with MPs such as Bridget Phillipson and Kemi Badenoch engaging over her treatment. Over 18,000 people have signed a petition in Melle’s support and it was consequently announced in Parliament that NHS Staff should not be compelled to use preferred pronouns. Advocacy groups have linked the case to wider debates on freedom of thought, speech, and conscience in healthcare settings.

With regards to the Epsom and St Helier Hospital’s NHS Trust, a spokesman stated, “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.”

Should you have any queries or would like any further information on discrimination claims or other employment related matters, please contact our Employment Law department on 0289020050 or email mmw@mmwlegal.com.