Summary of events

Jennifer Melle is a senior nurse at St Helier Hospital, part of Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust. She has worked in the NHS for 12 years.

In May 2024, during an evening shift, Melle encountered Patient X, a convicted paedophile from a high-security men’s prison. Patient X is a man who identifies as a woman and is listed as male in medical records. 

While speaking to a doctor outside the patient’s room about catheter removal, Melle referred to the patient as “he” and “Mr” in a clinical context. Overhearing this, the patient became aggressive. He verbally abused Melle with racist slurs, calling her the N-word multiple times, and physically lunged at her while restrained. Melle explained that she could not use female pronouns due to her Christian faith but offered to use the patient’s chosen name. 

Despite the patient’s abusive and threatening behaviour, Melle was given a final written warning, referred to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), and placed under investigation for potentially breaching professional conduct guidelines. The NMC code states that nurses should not express personal beliefs “in an inappropriate way”, even for religious reasons.

Melle maintains that she acted professionally, prioritised patient safety, and is being punished for expressing her Christian beliefs. She also noted that a white colleague used male pronouns for the same patient but was not investigated.

Next steps

With support from the Christian Legal Centre, Melle is suing the NHS trust for harassment, discrimination, and breaches of her human rights.

Our case briefings are introductions to cases that concern the conflict between sex-based rights and policies and practices based on gender identity. This information was compiled from public sources, last updated 23rd March 2025.