An NHS trust spent more than £600,000 defending a policy which saw female nurses share a changing room with a transgender woman.
County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust splurged £603,000 of taxpayer money on a legal battle against eight nurses who objected to trans nurse Rose Henderson using the single sex area.
Judges later ruled the trust 'violated the dignity' of the nurses who worked at Darlington Memorial Hospital, while bosses failed to address their concerns.
In a report to the trust's board, chief executive Steve Russell confirmed the six-figure cost of the litigation, and confirmed there would be no appeal to the findings.
Bethany Hutchison, one of the Darlington nurses who issues the complaint, branded the money spent at the expense of the taxpayer 'appalling'.
'No nurse should have to fight this hard for such a simple matter of dignity, privacy and safety,' she said.
'It is appalling to see more than £600,000 spent by County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust resisting something for years as basic as women having the right to get changed without a man present in the female staff changing rooms.'
Ms Hutchinson added: 'We come to work to care for patients, not to enter battles over whether female only spaces should remain female. To know that this enormous sum of public money has been spent resisting what should be common sense is deeply upsetting for those of us on the frontline.'
Darlington nurse Bethany Hutchinson (second left) branded the £603,000 spent at the expense of the taxpayer 'appalling'
In January, the tribunal ruled that bosses at the hospital created a 'hostile environment' for female nurses, for which the trust later apologised.
Allegations made by the nurses about Henderson's behaviour were dismissed and found to be 'not well founded'.
The tribunal concluded that allowing a biological male to use the female changing room violated the nurses' dignity.
It also found the Trust failed to maintain its obligations under the Equality Act and overlooked safeguarding concerns.
The panel stated: 'The policy of permitting biological males who identify as women to use a female changing room was not "lawful".'
After learning of the six-figure sum, Andrea Williams, Chief Executive of the Christian Legal Centre, said today: 'It is shocking and unacceptable that more than £600,000 of taxpayers' money has been spent by an NHS trust fighting its own nurses rather than listening to them.
'This sum represents not just a waste of public resources, but a deep moral failure in leadership.
'Instead of protecting the dignity, privacy and wellbeing of staff, the Trust poured vast funds into defending an unlawful policy that the tribunal found had violated nurses' dignity and created a hostile working environment.'
Helen Joyce, director of advocacy at sex-based rights charity Sex Matters, told The Telegraph: 'The outrageous sum of £600,000 spent by NHS Darlington Trust to defend its policy of allowing trans-identifying men into female changing rooms highlights the sheer, unjustifiable waste of public resources caused by trans ideology in workplaces all over the UK.'
NHS nurse Jennifer Melle (front centre), who was suspended after she referred to a transgender paedophile patient as 'Mr', was allowed to return to work today
Ms Melle addressed the sex offender patient who identifies as a women using a masculine title
Mr Russell said: 'We recognise the legal costs are a significant sum and understand the concern this will cause. The board is undertaking a review to ensure we capture and act on the learning.
'We will not be appealing the tribunal's decision and our focus now is on implementing the judgment outcome and ensuring we provide safe, supportive spaces for all our colleagues while delivering high-quality care for our patients.'
The revelation comes as NHS nurse Jennifer Melle, who was suspended after she referred to a transgender paedophile patient as 'Mr', was allowed to return to work today.
Ms Melle, 41, was forced out of St Helier Hospital in Carshalton, Surrey, in May 2024 after a 6ft male sex offender with a beard objected to the masculine title.
She had served as a nurse for 12 years before the incident, which saw the sex offender - known as Patient X - turn up chained to guards from a men's prison to receive treatment for a urinary infection.
As he was fitted with a catheter, he objected to being called 'Mr' and launched a torrent of racial abuse towards the nurse.
Ms Melle was transferred to another ward as investigations took place, before being handed a written warning in December 2024 following a disciplinary hearing.
The Trust later suspended the mother for nine months in April 2025 while investigating allegations she had publicly disclosed details of the incident.
Today, Ms Melle was able to return to hospital to work alongside her colleagues on the frontline.
She told the Express: 'While I am glad to be returning to work, I must be honest: this is not over.
'For nearly a year I have been suspended simply for telling the truth: that I was racially abused and physically threatened after using biologically accurate language to refer to a male patient. I was treated as the criminal.'
The Daily Mail has contacted County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust for comment.
