Okembunachi commenced employment as a registered nurse at Hardi Aged Care (HAC) in Guildford in February 2024, but her period of service was brief, as she was suspended within about a month and subsequently resigned from her position.
Evidence presented during tribunal proceedings showed that from 13 March to 27 March 2024, she worked a series of night shifts as the sole registered nurse on duty. In that capacity, she bore primary responsibility for supervising up to four assistants in nursing (AINs) and overseeing the care of approximately 100 residents. The role required continuous supervision, clinical judgment, and strict adherence to medication administration protocols.
The tribunal determined that on six separate night shifts, she failed to carry out her professional obligations after falling asleep while on duty, frequently at the nurses’ station. On three of those occasions, residents did not receive their prescribed morphine at the required times because she was asleep and unavailable. It was reported that she slept for a cumulative total of approximately four hours and 24 minutes while rostered to work. This conduct was considered to have created a potential risk to the health and safety of residents, particularly given their clinical vulnerability and reliance on timely medical care. These incidents occurred at varying times across six different shifts.
Additional evidence concerning the night shift of 21–22 March indicated that an AIN attempted to wake her by switching on the light at the nurses’ station. She reportedly turned the light off shortly thereafter and returned to sleep rather than resuming her duties.
In a separate matter on 15 March, she instructed an AIN to administer Panadol to a resident despite the assistant not being authorised to provide medication. She allegedly stated, “It’s okay, sister, just give it to him,” thereby directing the assistant to act outside their permitted scope of practice.
Her conduct on 27 March was formally reported by two nurses. The following day, she received an email informing her of her suspension and inviting her to attend a meeting to address the concerns raised. Approximately 20 minutes after receiving that communication, she resigned from her role and declined to attend the meeting.
