A Nigerian-born nurse, Chimzuruoke Okembunachi, 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 25-year-old nurse had her registration cancelled by the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal, which ruled that her conduct amounted to professional misconduct and posed a serious risk to patient safety. Okembunachi was employed at Hardi Aged Care in Guildford from February 2024 but was suspended within a month and later resigned.
According to the tribunal, she worked multiple night shifts between March 13 and March 27, 2024, as the only registered nurse overseeing up to four assistants-in-nursing and about 100 elderly residents. On six occasions, she reportedly fell asleep while on duty, failing to properly supervise staff and residents. On three of those nights, patients missed their prescribed morphine doses.
Evidence also showed that she instructed an assistant-in-nursing to administer medication despite the assistant not being authorised to do so. Concerns about her conduct were raised by colleagues on March 27, leading to her suspension the following day.
During the hearing, Okembunachi admitted her actions and expressed remorse, explaining that she was under significant stress from health challenges, academic pressure and family financial obligations. She acknowledged that accepting night shifts while managing these issues compromised patient safety.
While the tribunal noted that she was honest and contrite, it ruled that deregistration was the only appropriate sanction, stating that her actions had the potential to endanger lives. She will be unable to apply for a review of the decision for at least nine months.
