A 25-year-old nurse, Chimzuruoke Okembunachi, has been deregistered and struck off the nursing register after she was found guilty of professional misconduct for repeatedly sleeping while on duty during night shifts at an aged care facility in western Sydney.
The New South Wales Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) on Tuesday ordered the cancellation of Okembunachi’s registration following findings that her conduct posed a serious risk to elderly residents under her care.
Okembunachi, who began work as a registered nurse at Hardi Aged Care (HAC), Guildford, in February 2024, was suspended barely a month into the job and later resigned.
Tribunal proceedings revealed that between March 13 and March 27, 2024, the nurse was rostered for several night shifts where she was the only registered nurse supervising up to four assistants-in-nursing (AINs) and about 100 residents.
However, on six separate nights, she failed to carry out her duties after falling asleep while on duty, often at the nurses’ station.
On three occasions, the tribunal heard, residents were denied their regular doses of morphine because Okembunachi was asleep.
During one shift on March 21–22, an assistant reportedly woke her by switching on the light at the nurses’ station, only for Okembunachi to turn the light off again moments later.
The tribunal also heard that on March 15, she instructed an assistant-in-nursing to administer Panadol to a male patient despite the assistant not being authorised to give medication.
When questioned by the assistant, Okembunachi reportedly responded: “It’s okay sister, just give it to him.”
Two nurses reported her conduct to management on March 27. The following day, she was informed via email that she had been suspended and asked to attend a meeting. About 20 minutes later, she tendered her resignation and declined to attend the meeting.
Following a complaint by the Health Care Complaints Commission, her nursing registration was suspended pending the tribunal hearing.
Okembunachi, who was born in Nigeria and moved to Australia in 2018, graduated with a Bachelor of Nursing Science from the University of the Sunshine Coast in 2021 and later enrolled in a medicine degree at Western Sydney University.
She told the tribunal she was dealing with migraines, academic pressure and family financial stress, including the cost of her sister’s scoliosis surgery, which she said contributed to her exhaustion.
She admitted responsibility for her actions and acknowledged that sleeping on duty put residents at risk.
“When I slept on night shift, I failed in supervising staff members and the residents,” she told the tribunal.
While noting that Okembunachi was remorseful and honest during proceedings, the tribunal ruled that her conduct was too serious to warrant leniency.
“The acts of the practitioner had the potential to endanger the lives of patients under her care,” the panel ruled, adding that any sanction short of deregistration would be inadequate.
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