Nurse Settles Pronoun Dispute with NHS Trust

Nurse Jennifer Melle has reached a confidential settlement with Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, averting an employment tribunal scheduled to begin on April 13 in a dispute over her discipline for using male pronouns with a transgender patient. The agreement, announced this week, follows a series of workplace actions stemming from an incident at St Helier Hospital in Carshalton, south London, where Melle, a 41-year-old senior nurse originally from Uganda, has worked for 12 years.

The conflict arose on May 22, 2024, when Melle attended to a patient transferred from a men's prison for treatment. The patient, a convicted offender listed as male in medical records and presenting with a masculine appearance, requested to self-discharge. While speaking to a doctor by phone, Melle referred to the patient as "Mr." based on the records. The patient reacted by shouting and subjecting Melle to racial abuse on multiple occasions, along with threats of violence. Melle, citing her Christian beliefs, explained that she could not use female pronouns but offered to address the patient by name.

The trust issued a written warning to Melle for the pronoun usage and another to the...