‎

‎A Nigerian-born nurse in Australia has lost her professional licence for sleeping on duty.

‎

‎Tweny-five-year-old Chimzuruoke Okembunachi was found by a tribunal in Australia to have repeatedly slept on duty during night shifts at an aged care home in Sydney.

‎

‎According to Daily Mail, the New South Wales Civil and Administrative Tribunal ruled that Okembunachi engaged in professional misconduct while working at Hardi Aged Care in Guildford, western Sydney.

‎

‎The tribunal noted that she was the only registered nurse on several night shifts in March 2024, overseeing about 100 residents alongside care assistants. She was, however found to have slept on duty on six occasions.

‎

‎In its ruling, the panel said that on three nights, residents missed doses of prescribed morphine because the nurse was asleep.

‎

‎On another occasion, an assistant reportedly had to switch on the light to wake her, only for her to turn it off and “return to sleep”.

‎

‎Imirror also heard that she asked an assistant-in-nursing to give medication despite the worker not being authorised. And when she was challenged, she allegedly said: “It’s okay sister, just give it to him.”

‎

‎Ms Okembunachi was then reported to her bosses by two nurses on March 27, and was informed via email the next day that her employment had been suspended and requested a meeting.

‎

‎Twenty minutes after she received the email, Ms Okembunachi tendered her resignation and declined to attend the meeting.

‎

‎After a complaint to the Health Care Complaints Commission, which brought the tribunal case against the nurse, her nursing registration was suspended.

‎

‎While acknowledging her remorse, the tribunal ruled that her conduct had the “potential to endanger the lives of patients” and that deregistration was the only appropriate sanction.

‎