Darlington Nursing Union urges Streeting to defend Melle’s freedom of belief

The Darlington Nursing Union is calling on Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, to urgently intervene in the case of Jennifer Melle, a dedicated NHS nurse suspended for expressing her Christian beliefs, indirectly ‘misgendering’ a 6ft transgender paedophile patient and then speaking publicly about her punishment at the hands of her employer.

Jennifer Melle, who is being supported by lawyers at the Christian Legal Centre, is a senior nurse at Epsom & St Helier University Hospital NHS Trust, and was suspended in April 2025 after giving an interview to the media about her experience of being racially abused by a transgender patient, an incident that the Trust has failed to properly investigate for over a year.

The patient, a convicted male paedophile identifying as a woman, subjected Ms Melle to a racially aggravated assault, calling her the N-word multiple times.

The abuse occurred after Ms Melle, used biologically accurate language when consulting a doctor about the patient’s care.

Despite the severity of the abuse, the Trust investigated Ms Melle and issued her with a final written warning for not using the patient’s preferred gender identity.

They then reported her to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) as a potential ‘risk’ to the public and the reputation of the NHS.

“I was racially abused in my workplace, and instead of protecting me, the Trust punished me,” said Jennifer.

“I have always treated patients with dignity and care, but I cannot lie about biological reality. My Christian faith teaches me that sex is immutable. I should not be forced to deny that truth to keep my job.

“I had to expose what was happening to me, and for that I have been severely punished and face losing my career.”

Badenoch and J.K. Rowling support

Following her interview, the Trust suspended her for an alleged breach of media and data protection policies, yet has failed to provide any evidence of wrongdoing. She remains suspended on full pay, with her career on the line.

After her story broke in the media as front page news on Sunday 23 March, her story was viewed millions of times online and supported by J.K Rowling.

When Jennifer came into work at St Helier hospital in South London the following day, she was hugged and greeted by members of staff who thanked her for what she had done.

Many student nurses also contacted Jennifer thanking her for the stand she had taken.

The mood in the hospital quickly turned to one of fear, however, when staff were told not to speak about the story publicly or to speak to Jennifer about it.

In response to her story, Leader of the Opposition, Kemi Badenoch, described Jennifer’s treatment as ‘completely crazy’ and said: ‘She has my full support. It’s time the Government pulls its finger out and intervenes to make it clear no one should be punished at work for stating biological reality to paedophiles.’

Letter to Wes Streeting

The Darlington Nursing Union has now written to Mr Streeting requesting a meeting to clarify the NHS’s position on freedom of belief in the workplace and Ms Melle’s case.

Darlington nurse and President of the Darlington, Bethany Hutchison, has said in the letter to Mr Streeting:

“Ms Melle is a capable nurse who wants to return to work. Because of her deeply held Christian convictions, she believes that sex is immutable. She will not be compelled to use pronouns that do not reflect that reality, albeit that she did not use the pronouns directly to the patient in any event.

“Ms Melle’s suspension on full pay has lasted over three months at considerable expense to the taxpayer and her own wellbeing. Nurses that share the same belief as Ms Melle, of which there are many, need to know they are welcome in an NHS that is supposed to appreciate diversity in its workforce.

“We request a meeting between you, Jennifer and me, at a suitable time, to discuss the situation. Our hope is that you can bring some clarity on the NHS’s position relating to manifestation of belief in the workplace, particularly where that belief dissents from one stated in Trust policy documentation.”

Story is a litmus test for our society

Andrea Williams, Chief Executive of the Christian Legal Centre, said: “Jennifer Melle is a courageous and compassionate nurse who has been punished for telling the truth and standing by her Christian convictions. She has been racially abused, silenced, and suspended, while the Trust hides behind vague policies and fails to act on the real misconduct.

“This case is a litmus test for freedom of belief and speech in the NHS. Wes Streeting must act now to ensure that Christian nurses are not driven out of the profession for holding to biological reality and speaking out against injustice.”