A Christian nurse has opened up about her two-year-long emotional turmoil on GB News after she “misgendered” a convicted transgender paedophile.
Jennifer Melle, from Croydon in south London, faced the sack after she was handed a warning from her employer for misgendering a patient, who is understood to be a convicted paedophile.
She received a written warning following the incident at St Helier Hospital in Carshalton, Surrey, in May 2024, when she addressed the sex offender using male pronouns.
The patient, whose medical records listed them as male, was referred to as “Mr” by Ms Melle during a conversation about catheter use.
During the incident, Ms Melle said the patient had lunged at her and thrown out racial slurs directed towards her in a hospital ward after he overheard himself being referred to as a biological male.
After she spoke out about the “terrifying” event last year, the NHS Trust expressed concern confidential details about the patient’s diagnosis, treatment and appearance were exposed in the media.
But this week, top health chiefs at Epsom and St Helier NHS Trust cleared the 40-year-old following an internal disciplinary meeting.
Ms Melle plans to sue the trust for harassment, discrimination and breaches of her human rights after the battle took a significant toll on the mother’s mental health.
Jennifer Melle spoke to GB News
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GB NEWS
This evening, Ms Melle sat down on the People’s Channel and opened up about her gruelling two-year-long battle with the trust, explaining her motivation behind the case.
She told the People’s Channel: “I was aware they did not apologise directly to me. When we went there with the union representative, we questioned that, about an apology from the hospital.
“And wow, they gave us some lame excuses,” she added, vowing to take the case further “for all the trauma [she] had to face and endure”.
She continued: “I was having panic attacks. My kids were very scared of me going out by myself. Sometimes I would just burst into tears out of nowhere because it was just so overwhelming.
Ms Melle opened up about the ordeal’s impact on her mental health
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GB NEWS
“I felt really crushed.”
Ms Melle handed out her thanks to the Darlington Nurses, who supported her case, along with Fife nurse Sandie Peggie, all of whom have all been involved in tribunals regarding facilities shared with transgender colleagues.
The Darlington nurses last week said they felt “massive vindication” when a tribunal concluded they had suffered harassment which violated their dignity and created “a hostile, intimidating, humiliating and degrading environment for them”.
The NHS nurse also praised top Tories Claire Coutinho and Kemi Badenoch, both of whom have strongly campaigned for Ms Melle to be reinstated in her role.
Mrs Badenoch urged the Government to “end these absurd witch hunts” following the outcome of Ms Melle’s disciplinary hearing.
The nurse’s tribunal will be heard in April.
A spokesman from Epsom and St Helier Hospitals NHS Trust said: “Following an investigation into a breach of patient confidentiality, we are pleased that a member of staff who was previously suspended on full pay is being reinstated to clinical duties.
“Racial abuse of our staff will never be tolerated and we are sorry that she had this experience.”