A Christian nurse disciplined by the NHS for refusing to refer to a transgender prisoner as a woman has called on Health Secretary Wes Streeting to intervene in her case.
Jennifer Melle, 40, was punished by Epsom and St Helier University Hospital Trust after an incident in May last year involving a convicted paedophile from a high-security men's prison.
The nurse from Croydon received a final written warning and was referred to the Nursing and Midwifery Council following the confrontation at St Helier Hospital in Carshalton, Surrey.
Speaking on GB News, Melle said Streeting "is responsible in this case" and "should stand up and say we have a Supreme Court ruling here."
GB NEWS / PARLIAMENT
|Jennifer Melle urged Wes Streeting to intervene
She is now pursuing legal action against the Trust for harassment, discrimination and human rights breaches.
The incident occurred when Patient X, described by Melle as "a man, about 6ft tall" who "was a prisoner who was in chains", arrived at the hospital for treatment of a urinary problem.
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Melle was called to assist a colleague who was struggling with the patient during an evening shift. While speaking to a doctor on the phone outside the patient's room, she used the terms "mister" and "he".
The patient, who was born male but identifies as a woman, overheard the conversation and became aggressive. According to Melle, the prisoner called her "n-----" three times during the confrontation.
GB NEWS
|Jennifer Melle spoke on GB News
"I said to him I can't refer to you as a woman because it's against my belief as a Christian," Melle told GB News.
Despite being subjected to racial abuse, it was Melle who faced investigation and disciplinary action from the hospital.
She was asked to make a statement, attend a HR meeting and was redeployed to another ward. An investigation report accused her of "not respecting the patient's preferred identity" and concluded her actions could "be seen as a potential breach" of the NMC Code of Conduct.
Following a disciplinary hearing in October, she received a final written warning and was referred to the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
Christian Legal Centre | Jennifer Melle, 40, was fired after a four-minute-long meeting with her manager at a Surrey hospital"Ever since I have expressed my Christian beliefs under extreme pressure, I have been a marked woman," Melle said.
The patient had been jailed for luring boys into sexual acts while posing as a teenage girl on social media.
Melle is being supported by the Christian Legal Centre, whose Chief Executive Andrea Williams said: "The Trust cannot force compelled speech on their staff and an urgent U-turn and apology is needed."
"The NHS appears to remain captured by transgender ideology to the point it is prepared to back a convicted paedophile, who was clearly very disturbed and shouting racist comments, over the Christian nurse," Williams added.
The Ugandan-born mother of three said: "Sadly, if you put your head above the parapet and speak truthfully on these issues in the NHS the risk is that you will be knocked down, punished severely and demoted."
An Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust spokesperson said: "These matters are still subject to ongoing internal proceedings, so it wouldn't be right for us to comment further."