A nurse who was warned over using incorrect pronouns to address a transgender patient has won a settlement against the NHS trust she works for.
Jennifer Melle, from Croydon, south London, said she was racially abused by a transgender patient at St Helier Hospital in Carshalton in May 2024 after she referred to them as “Mr”.
The 41-year-old was given a written warning at the time and continued in her role, and Epsom and St Helier Hospitals NHS Trust also wrote to the patient to warn them that threatening and racist language was not tolerated.
However, Ms Melle was later suspended with full pay after speaking to the media about her experience in March 2025.
There were concerns from the trust that the patient could have been identified from press reports, potentially breaching patient confidentiality.
She was reinstated to clinical duties in January following a private disciplinary meeting which ruled she will face no further action over the alleged breach.
Epsom and St Helier Hospitals NHS Trust has now agreed to settle Ms Melle’s claim ahead of a tribunal which was set to commence on April 13, according to advocacy group Christian Concern.
Ms Melle, who came to the UK from Uganda and has worked the hospital for 12 years, said: “I cannot discuss the terms of the settlement, but generally I am glad that my employer has finally decided to extend an olive branch to me.
“I look forward to being able to focus on the job I love instead of defending myself against various bizarre accusations.
“It should never have 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.”
Ms Melle still faces ongoing investigations by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).
She added: “My ordeal matters not only for me, but for every nurse who should be able to practise according to conscience, biological reality, and basic safeguarding principles without fear.
“I have been through the darkest days of my life and it is still far from over.”
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.”
