A nurse faces a disciplinary meeting Tuesday that could end her 13-year career. Jennifer Melle, 40, from Croydon, south London, spoke publicly about being racially abused by a transgender patient. The trust accuses her of potentially breaching patient confidentiality by discussing the incident with the media.
The case stems from a confrontation in May 2024 at St Helier Hospital in Carshalton. A transgender patient, whom staff had transferred from prison, racially abused Melle after she referred to them as "Mr." The Epsom and St Helier NHS Trust issued Melle a written warning for her pronoun use and warned the patient about racist language.
The trust suspended Melle with full pay in March 2025 after she gave media interviews about the incident. The trust argues her public comments could have identified the patient, violating Nursing and Midwifery Council guidance on confidentiality.
"I Could Lose My Career"
Speaking outside Parliament on Monday, Melle expressed fear about Tuesday's disciplinary hearing at Epsom Gateway. "I have mixed emotions what is going to happen tomorrow, and it's quite daunting to see that I could lose my career, I could be dismissed," she said.
Around 20 supporters held banners reading "Standing with Darlington nurses" and "Safe spaces for women." Melle described feeling "let down" by her treatment and called for new protections: "They need to bring out these policies and guidelines that we need to safeguard us, the staff, because it's really traumatising for nurses."
Trust's Position
A spokesman for Epsom and St Helier Hospitals NHS Trust acknowledged the seriousness of both issues. "Racial abuse of our staff is never acceptable, nor is discussing a patient's private medical information publicly," he said. "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."
Wider Battle Over Gender Policies
Melle's case is part of a broader conflict within the NHS. She is taking the trust to an employment tribunal in April, alleging harassment and discrimination based on her gender-critical and evangelical Christian beliefs.
Other nurses have fought similar battles. Last week, two Darlington nurses concluded tribunals regarding shared facilities with transgender colleagues, describing their outcome as "massive vindication" and "a victory for common sense and for every woman who simply wants to feel safe at work." The nurses described enduring "a hostile, intimidating, humiliating and degrading environment."
Nurse Sandie Peggie from Fife secured a partial victory against NHS Fife in December when the tribunal upheld harassment claims, though she is appealing other aspects of the ruling.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
