Tribunal disqualifies former nurse for four years for criminal behaviour

12 Jun 2019

A Tribunal has reprimanded a former nurse and disqualified him from holding registration for four years after he was convicted of serious criminal offences.

In May 2016, Blair Douglas Sudell, at the time a registered nurse, was charged with several criminal offences involving his former partner, including grievous bodily harm, assault and deprivation of liberty. Mr Sudell was convicted of deprivation of liberty and grievous bodily harm in September 2017, and in January 2018, he pleaded guilty to common assault.

In September 2016, Mr Sudell was convicted of separate criminal charges of stealing and fraud, after he stole a hospital colleague’s phone and wallet-like phone cover and used the colleague’s debit card without permission.

In August 2016, Mr Sudell’s criminal history was obtained and the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) took immediate action by imposing conditions on Mr Sudell’s registration prohibiting him from practising as a nurse until approved to do so by the NMBA.

The NMBA referred Mr Sudell to the State Administrative Tribunal of Western Australia (tribunal) for professional misconduct concerning:

• his criminal behaviour, which was conduct below the standard expected of a nurse (as outlined in the NMBA’s Code of professional conduct for nurses effective 7 May 2013 to 28 February 2018); and
• his failure to notify the NMBA of his criminal charges or convictions, which he was required to do within seven days.

In October 2018, the NMBA and Mr Sudell agreed the terms on which the matter could be resolved. Mr Sudell admitted the facts and agreed that his behaviour constituted professional misconduct. Mr Sudell was reprimanded and disqualified from applying for registration as a nurse for four years. As Mr Sudell was not registered as a nurse at the time, the tribunal also ordered that it would have cancelled his registration had he been registered.

For more information please see the tribunal orders.