A Nigerian-born nurse, Chimzuruoke Okembunachi, has been deregistered in Australia after a tribunal ruled that she repeatedly slept while on duty during night shifts at an aged care facility, exposing elderly residents to potential harm.
According to a report by the Daily Mail on Friday, the New South Wales Civil and Administrative Tribunal on January 20 found that Ms Okembunachi’s conduct in March 2024 constituted professional misconduct, leading to the cancellation of her nursing licence.
Ms Okembunachi, 25, started work at Hardi Aged Care in Guildford, western Sydney, in February 2024. She was suspended less than a month later and subsequently resigned from her position.
Tribunal findings showed that between March 13 and March 27, she was the only registered nurse rostered on night duty, overseeing three or four assistants-in-nursing (AINs) and approximately 100 residents.
Evidence presented indicated that on six separate nights, she failed to carry out her responsibilities after falling asleep during her shift. On three occasions, residents did not receive their prescribed doses of morphine.
During one shift on March 21–22, an AIN reportedly switched on the nurses’ station light in an attempt to wake her. However, the tribunal heard that Ms Okembunachi turned the light off about a minute later and returned to sleep.
On March 15, she instructed an AIN to administer Panadol to a resident, despite the assistant lacking authorisation, telling her, “It’s okay, sister, just give it to him.”
Her conduct was reported by two nurses on March 27. The following day, she received an email notifying her of her suspension and inviting her to a meeting. However, she resigned 20 minutes later and declined to attend the meeting.
Born in Nigeria, Ms Okembunachi relocated to Australia in 2018. She obtained a Bachelor of Nursing Science in 2021 and was studying medicine at Western Sydney University while working at Hardi Aged Care.
In her testimony before the tribunal, she said, “These events caused me significant stress… In hindsight, I should not applied for, or accepted the position at Hardi. Working night shifts during the week was putting patients’ safety at risk.”
She further stated, “When I slept on night shift, I failed in supervising those staff members and the residents.”
While acknowledging her “remorseful and contrite” disposition, the tribunal ruled that deregistration was appropriate, noting that her actions “had the potential to endanger the lives of patients under her care.”
Ms Okembunachi is barred from applying for a review of the decision for at least nine months. She has since stepped away from nursing but continues her medical studies, with support from her father and a Centrelink Student Allowance.
(PUNCH)
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