NHS Hospital Trust Settles Employment Dispute with Nurse Jennifer Melle Ahead of Tribunal

Settlement Reached to Avoid Tribunal On April 13, 2026, Jennifer Melle and Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust reached a settlement to avoid an employment tribunal set to begin that day.

The settlement occurred two months after Melle returned to work. Melle is a nurse originally from Uganda working in south London.

Incident Involving Patient Jennifer Melle was involved in an incident with a trans woman patient who is a convicted pedophile serving time in a men's prison and whose medical records list him as male.

During the incident, the patient yelled and roared at Melle, saying 'I'm a miss, don't call me mr'. The patient called Melle the N-word multiple times. The patient had two prison guards present and his legs were chained and cuffed during the incident.

The patient lunged at Melle, causing her to shake and step back. Melle refused to call the patient 'she' during the incident.

Report to Nursing Council in 2024 In May 2024, Melle was reported to the Nursing and Midwifery Council after telling the prisoner: “Sorry, I cannot refer to you as ‘her’ or ‘she’, as it’s against my faith and Christian values, but I can call you by your name.

” The hospital placed Melle under investigation for misgendering the trans patient.

Suspension and Return to Work In March 2025, the hospital suspended Melle for ten months, stating her description of the incident may have allowed identification of the patient, violating confidentiality.

In March 2025, Melle spoke to the press about the incident. Melle's suspension ended in January 2026 when she returned to work at St Helier Hospital in Carshalton, Surrey. Melle faces two ongoing investigations by the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

““I cannot discuss the terms of the settlement, but generally I am glad that my employer has finally decided to extend an olive branch to me. I look forward to being able to focus on the job I love instead of defending myself against various bizarre accusations. It should never have come to this. No nurse or other medical professionals should ever have to face what I have faced simply for telling the truth, doing their job and reporting racist abuse and physical threats from a patient.””