CROYDON — Epsom and St Helier Hospitals NHS Trust reinstated nurse Jennifer Melle to clinical duties in January after a private disciplinary meeting ruled she would face no further action over an alleged breach of patient confidentiality. Melle, 41, had been suspended with full pay in March 2025 after speaking publicly to the media about receiving a warning for using the wrong pronouns.

The trust agreed to settle Melle's claim ahead of a tribunal. Melle, a nurse from Croydon in south London who has worked at the trust for 12 years, won the settlement after months away from her clinical role.

The sequence of events began in May 2024, when a transgender woman patient racially abused Melle after the nurse addressed the patient as "Mr." Melle received a written warning at that time and continued working in her position. The trust also wrote to the patient, warning that threatening and racist language was not tolerated.

Melle was subsequently suspended in March 2025 after she spoke publicly about the incident and the warning she had received. The trust's stated concern centered on patient confidentiality. The settlement and the outcome of the private disciplinary meeting cleared the way for her return to clinical work.

"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," Melle said. "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," she added.

A trust spokesperson said: "Racial abuse of our staff is never acceptable, nor is discussing a patient's private medical information publicly. We are sorry that Miss Melle had this experience and we issued a written warning to this patient, but we expect all staff to maintain patient confidentiality at all times."

Melle still faces ongoing investigations by the Nursing and Midwifery Council. The outcome of those proceedings has not been disclosed.