--- title: "Nurse Jennifer Melle says RCN failed to help her" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/nurse-jennifer-melle-says-rcn-failed-to-help-her" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/nurse-jennifer-melle-says-rcn-failed-to-help-her" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/nurse-jennifer-melle-says-rcn-failed-to-help-her.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/nurse-jennifer-melle-says-rcn-failed-to-help-her" category: "Politics" area: "United Kingdom" published: "2026-09-28T22:45:48.155Z" source_reported: "2026-09-28T20:18:17.000Z" updated: "2026-09-28T22:45:48.155Z" trust_score: 60 critic_score: 70 hype_score: 20 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-09-28T23:45:13.238890+00:00" --- # 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.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 60 of 100, higher is better. Central claims attributed to named individuals and supported by two independent outlets. - Craft 70 of 100, higher is better. Reporting clearly separates fact from comment and includes specific details. - Hype 20 of 100, lower is better. Headlines are direct and do not overstate the article's content. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - 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. 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. ## Who covered it Shares of the 6 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 33% (2) - Centre: 67% (4) - Right: 0% (0) 2 of 8 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-09-28T23:45:13.238890+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 5 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-09-29T00:00:26.352Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - 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 - 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 No separate framing summary. **Provisional coverage gap:** right. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - mixed: 1 - high: 4 - unknown: 2 - veryHigh: 1 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [INTELLINEWS](https://intelli.news/2026/09/28/trans-row-nurse-tells-tribunal-that-union-failed-to-help-me-when-i-needed-them-most) — Trans Row Nurse Tells Tribunal that Union 'Failed to Help Me when I Need Them Most' - [Great Yorkshire Radio](https://greatyorkshireradio.co.uk/uk/trans-row-nurse-tells-sandie-peggie-employment-tribunal-that-union-failed-to-help-me-when-i-needed-them-most) — Trans Row Nurse Tells Sandie Peggie Employment Tribunal That Union 'failed To Help Me When I Needed Them Most' - [Stv](https://news.stv.tv/north/rcn-failed-to-help-me-when-i-needed-them-pronoun-nurse-tells-peggie-tribunal) — RCN failed to help me when I needed them, pronoun nurse tells Peggie tribunal - [The Northern Echo](https://thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/national/26587608.rcn-failed-help-needed-pronoun-nurse-tells-peggie-tribunal) — RCN failed to help me when I needed them, pronoun nurse tells Peggie tribunal - [Sky News UK](https://news.sky.com/story/trans-row-nurse-tells-sandie-peggie-employment-tribunal-that-union-failed-to-help-me-when-i-needed-them-most-13592980) — Trans row nurse tells Sandie Peggie employment tribunal that union 'failed to help me when I needed them most' - [Evening Standard](https://standard.co.uk/news/crime/royal-college-of-nursing-fife-epsom-victoria-hospital-dundee-b1298691.html) — RCN failed to help me when I needed them, pronoun nurse tells Peggie tribunal - [Daily Record](https://dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/trans-row-nurse-tells-sandie-37710731) — Trans row nurse tells Sandie Peggie tribunal union 'didn't help when ... - [The Scotsman](https://scotsman.com/news/scottish-news/sandie-peggie-tribunal-rcn-failed-to-help-me-when-i-needed-them-over-pronouns-says-nurse-9207856) — Sandie Peggie tribunal: RCN failed to help me when I needed them over pronouns, says nurse ## Questions **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. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/nurse-jennifer-melle-says-rcn-failed-to-help-her. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Nurse Jennifer Melle says RCN failed to help her", https://mediabias.news/politics/nurse-jennifer-melle-says-rcn-failed-to-help-her