A Nigerian-born nurse has been deregistered in Australia after a tribunal found that she repeatedly slept while on duty during night shifts at an aged care facility in Sydney.
The New South Wales Civil and Administrative Tribunal ruled that Chimzuruoke Okembunachi, 25, engaged in professional misconduct while working at Hardi Aged Care in Guildford, western Sydney.
The tribunal heard that Okembunachi was the only registered nurse on duty on several night shifts in March 2024, supervising about 100 elderly residents with the support of care assistants. During this period, she was found asleep on six different occasions.
According to the ruling, residents missed prescribed doses of morphine on three nights because the nurse was asleep. In another incident, an assistant reportedly woke her by turning on the light, only for her to switch it off and go back to sleep.
The panel also heard that Okembunachi instructed an assistant-in-nursing to administer medication despite the worker not being authorised to do so. When questioned, she was said to have dismissed the concern and asked the assistant to proceed.
Concerns raised by colleagues on March 27 led to her suspension from duty. She later resigned from her position and failed to attend a scheduled disciplinary meeting.
Although the tribunal noted that she expressed remorse, it concluded that her actions had the potential to put patients’ lives at risk. The panel ruled that striking her off the nursing register was the appropriate sanction.
