Nurse Jennifer Melle says RCN failed to help her
She gave evidence at Sandie Peggie's employment tribunal, claiming the union did not support her.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
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Photograph: The Northern Echo (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Jennifer Melle told Sandie Peggie's employment tribunal that the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) union failed to support her when she needed it most.
- Ms Melle received a warning from her employer, Epsom and St Helier Hospitals NHS Trust, for using incorrect pronouns for a transgender patient.
- She stated that it took the RCN 'a couple of days or weeks' to respond to her initial contact.
- Ms Melle described the regulatory investigation by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) as the most 'critical' time of her career.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 6 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 2 of the 8 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
60/100
Craft
70/100
Hype
20/100
8 sources · methodology
Thin on the right so far
None of the 6 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
Jennifer Melle gave evidence at Sandie Peggie's employment tribunal, stating that the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) union did not help her when she most needed support. Ms Melle had previously received a warning from her employer, Epsom and St Helier Hospitals NHS Trust, for using incorrect pronouns for a transgender patient. She told the tribunal that it took the RCN 'a couple of days or weeks' to respond to her. Ms Melle described the subsequent regulatory investigation by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) as the most 'critical' period of her career, during which she experienced sleepless nights and panic attacks.
David Hay KC, who was cross-examining for the RCN, stated that RCN representatives had been in touch with Ms Melle to discuss her case. Ms Melle maintained that the RCN had not supported her, and she told the tribunal the union was 'neglecting the urgency' of her situation. Bethany Hutchison, president of the Darlington Nursing Union, also gave evidence. She claimed that the RCN had 'abandoned their members, particularly their female members'.
Disagreement on RCN response time
Jennifer Melle stated that it took 'a couple of days or weeks' for the RCN to respond to her. David Hay KC, cross-examining for the RCN, stated that RCN representatives had been in touch with Ms Melle to discuss her case.
What the coverage left out
None of the left or centre-rated reports mentioned the specific details of the warning Ms Melle received from Epsom and St Helier Hospitals NHS Trust, beyond stating it was for using incorrect pronouns for a transgender patient.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 3 times, most recently on 28 Sept 2026, 23:30, and will add the sides that appear.
How other outlets pictured it
Which photograph to run is each newsroom’s own choice. The leaning beside a name is that outlet’s published rating, not a claim that the pictures divide along it. Every picture is shown from the outlet’s own server and links to the article it ran in.
Bethany Hutchison (centre) and Jennifer Melle outside the employment tribunal case in Dundee with Fife nurse Sandie Peggie (left) who is taking action against the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) union
Daily Record — embedded from source
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
2 rated outlets
- The left-rated reports led on Jennifer Melle's claim that the RCN union did not help her when she needed them most. Both The Scotsman and the Daily Record highlighted Ms Melle's statement that the union took 'a couple of days or weeks' to respond to her. The Scotsman's headline stated: 'Sandie Peggie tribunal: RCN failed to help me when I needed them over pronouns, says nurse'. The Daily Record also quoted Ms Melle saying it felt like 'more punishment' when a union representative asked her to write a reflection on what had happened.
Centre
4 rated outlets
- The centre-rated reports focused on Jennifer Melle's testimony that the RCN union failed to support her. The Northern Echo, which published a full report, stated that Ms Melle won a settlement from her employer after receiving a warning for using incorrect pronouns. It also reported that David Hay KC, for the RCN, stated that representatives had been in touch with Ms Melle. Sky News UK and Evening Standard digests also reported Ms Melle's claim that the RCN took 'a couple of days or weeks' to respond. INTELLINEWS's digest noted Ms Melle's statement that the regulatory investigation by the NMC was the most 'critical' time of her career.
Right
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated right has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Nurse Jennifer Melle says RCN failed to help her?
- Of the 6 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 33% are rated left, 67% are rated centre, 0% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 8. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Nurse Jennifer Melle says RCN failed to help her left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 6 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of Nurse Jennifer Melle says RCN failed to help her biased?
- Nurse Jennifer Melle says RCN failed to help her is one event reported by 8 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Nurse Jennifer Melle says RCN failed to help her?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated right had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Nurse Jennifer Melle says RCN failed to help her?
- 8 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- What did Jennifer Melle claim about the RCN?
- Jennifer Melle told Sandie Peggie's employment tribunal that the Royal College of Nursing union failed to help her when she needed them most. She also stated that it took the RCN 'a couple of days or weeks' to respond to her initial contact.
- Why did Jennifer Melle receive a warning from her employer?
- Ms Melle received a warning from her employer, Epsom and St Helier Hospitals NHS Trust, for using incorrect pronouns to address a transgender patient. She later gave evidence about this at Sandie Peggie's employment tribunal.
- What was the most critical time in Jennifer Melle's career?
- Ms Melle described the regulatory investigation by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) as the most 'critical' time of her career. She stated that during this period she experienced sleepless nights and panic attacks.
Read it at the source
8 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
2- Trans row nurse tells Sandie Peggie tribunal union 'didn't help when ... (opens Daily Record in a new tab)
Daily Record — is Daily Record biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Sandie Peggie tribunal: RCN failed to help me when I needed them over pronouns, says nurse (opens The Scotsman in a new tab)
The Scotsman — is The Scotsman biased? Our profile of this outlet
Centre
4- Trans Row Nurse Tells Tribunal that Union 'Failed to Help Me when I Need Them Most' (opens INTELLINEWS in a new tab)
INTELLINEWS — is INTELLINEWS biased? Our profile of this outlet
- RCN failed to help me when I needed them, pronoun nurse tells Peggie tribunal (opens The Northern Echo in a new tab)
The Northern Echo — is The Northern Echo biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trans row nurse tells Sandie Peggie employment tribunal that union 'failed to help me when I needed them most' (opens Sky News UK in a new tab)
Sky News UK — is Sky News UK biased? Our profile of this outlet
- RCN failed to help me when I needed them, pronoun nurse tells Peggie tribunal (opens Evening Standard in a new tab)
Evening Standard — is Evening Standard biased? Our profile of this outlet
Right
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Not rated
2- Trans Row Nurse Tells Sandie Peggie Employment Tribunal That Union 'failed To Help Me When I Needed Them Most' (opens Great Yorkshire Radio in a new tab)
Great Yorkshire Radio — is Great Yorkshire Radio biased? Our profile of this outlet
- RCN failed to help me when I needed them, pronoun nurse tells Peggie tribunal (opens Stv in a new tab)
How did this read?
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