Four Darlington nurses, already at the centre of a high-profile employment tribunal which begins this month, are also facing professional misconduct investigations, after complaints made by members of the public to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).
The Shadow Secretary of State for Women and Equalities, Rt. Hon. Claire Coutinho, has slammed the development, saying:
“It is beyond belief that these four remarkable nurses may now be dragged through another vexatious disciplinary process simply because they stood up against radical transgender ideology in the NHS and defended their legal right to single-sex spaces.
“Our institutions have been captured by an ideology that wants to pretend that biological sex isn’t real and puts the feelings of transgender women above the rights of women to get changed in dignity, privacy, and safety.
“The Government needs to get a grip and intervene to make sure the Darlington Nurses and Jennifer Melle are not punished for believing that women are women.”
‘Misconduct’ for wanting a biological women’s-only space
The complaints stem from the nurses speaking publicly about being forced to undress in front of a male colleague who ‘identifies’ as a woman in female-only changing rooms, a situation sanctioned by a Stonewall-inspired NHS policy.
The four nurses, Bethany Hutchison, Lisa Lockey, Annice Grundy and Tracey Hooper, who are being supported by lawyers at the Christian Legal Centre, have submitted a detailed legal response to the NMC, arguing that the complaints are ideologically driven, legally baseless, and amount to unlawful victimisation.
They assert that their actions were protected under the Equality Act 2010 and the Human Rights Act, and that they acted in good faith, with legal advice, and in full compliance with the NMC Code.
The NMC has said in writing to the nurses that they are gathering: “information and [will] assess whether the concerns raised require a full NMC investigation.”
NMC cases can take years to be resolved, with the professionals involved experiencing the threat and stress of being disciplined or even losing their careers.
Such referrals are not isolated, with the Christian Legal Centre, currently supporting a series of Christian medical professionals who have been reported and investigated by the regulator for expressing their beliefs.
For example, Christian nurse, Jennifer Melle, has been referred to the NMC by the NHS for not using a convicted paedophile’s preferred gender identity. Confirming the case being opened against her, an NMC caseworker said, based on the evidence before them, that she could be a ‘risk’ to the public and the reputation of the NHS.
J.K. Rowling: ‘Millions support the Darlington nurses’
In May 2024, eight nurses at Darlington Memorial Hospital launched legal action against County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust after being forced to get undressed in front of ‘Rose’.
In their legal response the NMC, the nurses explain that they had endured months of harassment in the changing room by a male colleague known as “Rose,” who, despite identifying as female, presented physically and audibly as male.
They describe how Rose would wander the changing room in boxer shorts, initiate conversations with women while they were undressing, and ask them why they weren’t getting changed. Despite raising concerns repeatedly with NHS management, they were told to “broaden their mindset,” “be more inclusive,” and undergo “re-education.”
Rose has openly said he has a female partner who he is trying to get pregnant and has offered to educate the female nurses at the hospital on gender identity.
The nurses’ concerns were ignored and they were told they needed to be ‘more inclusive’ and ‘compromise’ by HR.
Going public with their story, there has been widespread media and social media interest with their story reaching millions.
As well as high-profile meetings with Kemi Badenoch and Wes Streeting, they have had public support from J.K Rowling who said: ‘Millions of women support them.’
‘Hate crime’ reported to police
The four complaints from members of the public, however, include accusations after the nurses gave media interviews of ‘transphobia’, demands that they be struck off the professional register, and even a report to police for alleged ‘hate crime’.
The nurses were also accused of breaching the NMC Code by not being “inclusive”, with one complaint following the nurses meeting with Health Secretary Wes Streeting.
Lawyers have called on the NMC to discontinue its investigation, stating that there is no prima facie case of misconduct and that any regulatory action would violate the nurses’ rights to freedom of expression and protection from victimisation.
The nurses full employment tribunal against County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust is scheduled to begin on October 20, 2025, with evidence commencing on October 22 and concluding on November 14.
NMC silencing lawful beliefs
Andrea Williams, Chief Executive of the Christian Legal Centre, said: “It’s quite something that these nurses are being disciplined for believing in biology; that men are men and women are women.
“We need to be clear it now takes extraordinary courage just for speaking obvious truth. They are not being targeted for misconduct, but for standing up for basic rights and safeguarding. The NMC must not allow itself to be weaponised as a tool of ideological enforcement. These complaints should be dismissed without delay.
Millions of people across this country and around the world support the nurses. Yet just four misconceived complaints from the green ink brigade are enough to trigger lengthy investigations that could last for years.
“These referrals are not isolated. Alongside the case of Jennifer Melle, the Christian Legal Centre is supporting a growing number of Christian professionals who have been reported to and investigated by the NMC.
“With the threat of losing their careers, being silenced, and told they must keep proceedings secret, the NMC is effectively suppressing the lawful expression of beliefs within the medical profession. This has to stop. Politicians must urgently examine what is happening and take decisive action before more dedicated medical professionals are needlessly forced out of their careers.”
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