An NHS nurse who called a transgender paedophile “Mr” has been suspended.
Jennifer Melle, 40, was previously investigated and disciplined by St Helier Hospital in Carshalton, London, after refusing to refer to a child sex offender patient as a woman.
Following widespread coverage of her case in the media, she was suspended this week and accused of breaching the patient’s confidentiality.
After a five-minute meeting with a manager, she was ordered to collect her belongings and escorted out of the hospital in tears.
“I am devastated to have been suspended simply for whistleblowing,” Ms Melle said. “As a dedicated Christian nurse, I am experiencing relentless institutional abuse, harassment, bullying, and racial discrimination.
”Ever since I expressed my Christian beliefs under extreme pressure, I have been a marked woman.
“Despite being the one placed at risk, I am the one being punished. I have been made to feel like a criminal.”
Last year, the patient, known only as Patient X, arrived from a men’s prison at Ms Melle’s ward to receive treatment for a urinary problem.
During the evening shift, a colleague told Ms Melle, the senior nurse on staff, that the patient wanted to self-discharge and a doctor was called for guidance.
Ms Melle spoke with the doctor on the phone outside the patient’s room, during which Ms Melle referred to the patient as “mister” and “he”.
She said she was discussing a catheter, for a male person, which needed to be removed, adding: “This was a real-life medical scenario that required accurate terminology to avoid any doubt between medical professionals.”
Overhearing Ms Melle, the patient who was born a man but identified as a woman, took issue with the male pronoun and title.
The nurse replied that she was “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 patient began to verbally abuse the nurse, saying: “Imagine if I called you n—–? How about I call you n—–? Yes, black n—–.”
The patient also lunged at her despite being restrained and threatened to make a complaint, she said.
However, it was Ms Melle who was investigated and disciplined by the hospital in October, with a final warning and a referral to the Nursing and Midwifery Council NMC).
She is now filing a legal claim, supported by Christian Legal Centre, against the Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals Trust for harassment, discrimination and human rights breaches.
It is understood that she will remain on full pay following her suspension.
Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, said her treatment was “completely crazy”. Mrs Badenoch added: “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.”
A spokesman for Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust said: “We expect all members of staff to follow professional standards such as the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s code of conduct – this includes maintaining confidentiality for any patients in their care at all times.
“There is no excuse for racially abusing our staff, and we’re sorry that Ms Melle had this experience, and we’re investigating her complaints.
“As proceedings are still ongoing, it wouldn’t be right for us to comment further.”
NMC guidance says: “As a nurse, midwife or nursing associate, you owe a duty of confidentiality to all those who are receiving care. This includes making sure that they are informed about their care and that information about them is shared appropriately”
