Nigerian-Born Nurse Chimzuruoke Okembunachi Loses Australian Registration for Repeatedly Sleeping on Duty at Aged Care Home"

 A 25-year-old Nigerian-born nurse, Chimzuruoke Okembunachi, has had her nursing registration cancelled in Australia after a tribunal found her guilty of professional misconduct for repeatedly sleeping on duty during night shifts at an aged care facility.

The NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) delivered its decision in late January 2026, ruling that Okembunachi's actions—falling asleep on six separate nights between March 13 and 27, 2024—posed a serious risk to patient safety. As the sole registered nurse in charge at Hardi Aged Care (HAC) in Guildford, western Sydney, she was responsible for supervising three to four assistants-in-nursing (AINs) and around 100 elderly residents. On three occasions, residents missed prescribed doses of morphine due to her failure to supervise or respond. Evidence included CCTV footage showing her sleeping for extended periods, such as over four hours on one shift with lights off in the nurses' station.

Additional misconduct included instructing an unauthorized AIN to administer Panadol to a male resident on March 15, 2024, dismissing concerns with "It’s okay sister, just give it to him." Two colleagues reported her conduct on March 27, leading to her suspension the next day via email; she resigned 20 minutes later without attending a scheduled meeting.

The tribunal acknowledged Okembunachi's remorse, honesty, and personal stressors—including migraines, family financial pressures (her sister's scoliosis surgery costing around $60,000), and balancing the role with medical studies at Western Sydney University (where she had taken leave after failing an exam). She admitted: "When I slept on night shift, I failed in supervising those staff members and the residents," and "I was also being paid to work, not sleep." However, the panel deemed the breaches too grave, stating her acts "had the potential to endanger the lives of patients under her care" and that "any order short of deregistration would be an inadequate response."

Her registration has been cancelled, and she is barred from applying for review for at least nine months. Okembunachi, who moved to Australia in 2018 and graduated with a Bachelor of Nursing Science from the University of the Sunshine Coast in 2021, has not worked as a nurse since March 2024. She expressed regret and hopes to return to the profession in the future, ideally without night shifts.

The case highlights ongoing scrutiny of professional standards in aged care, particularly during night duties where supervision is critical for vulnerable residents.