A Nigerian-born nurse has been stripped of her professional registration in Australia after a tribunal found she repeatedly slept while on duty during night shifts at a Sydney aged care facility, placing vulnerable residents at risk.
The New South Wales Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) ordered the deregistration of Chimzuruoke Okembunachi, 25, ruling that her conduct amounted to professional misconduct and posed a serious threat to patient safety. Okembunachi had been employed at Hardi Aged Care in Guildford from February 2024 but was suspended within a month of starting work and later resigned.
Reports say the tribunal found that Okembunachi worked several overnight shifts between March 13 and March 27, 2024, during which she was the sole registered nurse responsible for supervising up to four assistants-in-nursing and caring for approximately 100 elderly residents. On at least six occasions, she was found to have fallen asleep while on duty, failing to adequately monitor staff and residents.
The tribunal heard that on three of those nights, residents missed their prescribed morphine doses, raising serious concerns about medication management and patient welfare. Evidence also showed that Okembunachi instructed an assistant-in-nursing to administer medication, despite the assistant not being authorized to do so under Australian healthcare regulations.
Concerns about her conduct were raised by colleagues on March 27, prompting her suspension the following day. She subsequently resigned from her position.
During the disciplinary hearing, Okembunachi admitted to the allegations and expressed remorse. She told the tribunal she had been under intense pressure stemming from health issues, academic commitments and financial responsibilities to her family.
She acknowledged that accepting night shifts while dealing with these challenges compromised her ability to provide safe care.
While the tribunal noted her honesty and contrition, it concluded that deregistration was the only appropriate sanction, citing the potential for serious harm to residents in an aged care setting. NCAT ruled that her actions demonstrated a fundamental failure to meet professional standards expected of a registered nurse.
Under the decision, Okembunachi will be barred from seeking a review of the ruling for at least nine months, effectively preventing her from practicing as a nurse in Australia during that period.
The case underscores ongoing concerns about staffing pressures, fatigue and patient safety in aged care facilities, particularly during overnight shifts where registered nurses may be responsible for large numbers of vulnerable residents.
