A Christian nurse who was suspended and disciplined after refusing to use a convicted paedophile patient’s preferred pronouns has called on the government to issue clear national guidance for NHS staff.
Jennifer Melle, a nurse at Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, wants a commitment that NHS staff won’t be disciplined, suspended or referred to regulators for refusing to use preferred pronouns and that freedom of religion and belief must be respected in NHS workplaces.
Following a meeting in February with the Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson and the Minister for Health Karin Smyth, Melle said both ministers made clear that no nurse should be compelled to use a patient’s preferred pronouns and that healthcare professionals should not be penalised for holding and expressing lawful beliefs. Melle said the ministers also indicated that this principle should apply within the NHS. She has now written to ministers to demand that NHS Trust policies are brought into line with the government’s stated position.
Melle was investigated after declining to use the preferred pronouns of the patient who identified as female. The incident occurred in May 2024.
The NHS Trust referred her to the National Medical Council (NMC) following allegations that she had failed to treat a patient with dignity by referring to the patient in a way inconsistent with their gender identity.
She later faced a second investigation after speaking publicly about her treatment, with allegations that she had breached patient confidentiality. The Trust abandoned its disciplinary case in January 2026, and the NMC has since closed both investigations with no further action.
The NMC reportedly concluded that the incident was isolated and driven by Melle’s protected religious belief rather than any desire to harass or bully.
In her letter to ministers this week, Melle wrote: “If ministers are correct that no nurse should be compelled to use preferred pronouns, why was I subjected to such extensive disciplinary and regulatory action in the first place? Why was I reported as a potential risk to the public? Why was I suspended from my role? Why did it take years of investigations before common sense prevailed?”
Stating that her case exposes a serious disconnect between what ministers say should happen and what NHS Trusts and regulators are enforcing in practice, she added: “No healthcare professional should have to endure the ordeal that I experienced simply for seeking to act with professional integrity and in accordance with their conscience and beliefs.
“At our meeting in Parliament, ministers told me that no nurse should be forced to use preferred pronouns or punished for refusing to say something they believe is untrue. But the policies being enforced in NHS Trusts and by regulators say something very different.
“That gap must now be closed. Nurses need clear national guidance so that no one else has to face suspension, disciplinary action, regulatory investigation or the threat of losing their career for acting according to their conscience and professional judgement.”
Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, said: “Jennifer Melle has been completely vindicated, but she should never have been dragged through this demeaning and punishing process.
“This case reveals the dangerous reality of compelled speech in the NHS. Jennifer’s courage has exposed a system that has lost its way. The government must ensure that no other nurse is put through what she has endured.”
Shadow Equalities Minister, Claire Coutinho, has also written to Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust.