Jennifer Melle, 40, a nurse at St Helier Hospital in Carshalton, Surrey, was helping to treat an inmate from a high-security men’s prison when the patient complained she had misgendered them.
She said the patient racially abused her, calling her the n-word several times, while they were restrained in their hospital bed – after she refused to call them by their preferred pronouns, which she said goes against her Christian beliefs.
She was investigated and discipled by the hospital in October 2024 and suspended on full pay.
A referral was sent to the Nursing and Midwifery Council to assess her ability to practise in accordance with its code of conduct – which forbids nurses from expressing personal beliefs.
Ms Melle has since filed a legal claim against the Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals Trust for harassment, discrimination and human rights breaches.
She also criticised the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) after it failed to intervene in her case.
SANGHA KOMMUNE (SSR) 