Mental health nurse Woei Tay disqualified for ‘highly unprofessional’ relationships with patients

A mental health nurse has been disqualified for multiple “highly unprofessional” relationships with vulnerable patients, including staying the night in one man’s bed.

A mental health nurse has had her registration cancelled for having “highly unprofessional” relationships, including staying overnight at a vulnerable patient’s house.

The South Australian Civil and Administrative Tribunal reprimanded and disqualified Woei Tay after the patients suffered adverse consequences from her actions.

According to the judgment published last month, Ms Tay failed to maintain professional boundaries with two of her patients.

The tribunal heard Ms Tay provided her number to a male patient and went to his house on five occasions, at least one of which she stayed overnight in his bed.

She also asked the patient for $5000, attended a personal event at his parent’s home and accepted a bracelet from him, which was later returned.

Woei Tay was reprimanded and disqualified for unprofessional conduct. Picture: Burst

The tribunal found Ms Tay failed to report alleged inappropriate contact from the patient, which included him allegedly kissing her twice in 2021.

The tribunal found she also engaged in an inappropriate personal relationship with a female patient.

This included regular communication by phone and text and enclosing details in relation to her relationship with the first patient.

Both patients were under Ms Tay’s care at the time, with the tribunal finding the conduct amounted to a breach of trust as the patients were “vulnerable due to their mental health conditions”.

The tribunal also found Ms Tay inappropriately disclosed confidential information about two patients on three occasions in 2021.

This included sharing information about the medication, admission and discharge of patients to other patients and sending images of one patient to another.

The tribunal said Ms Tay exhibited “a lack of honesty” in selectively providing material and sought to mislead the regulator as to the true nature of her relationships with the patients.

The tribunal noted Ms Tay had many years of nursing experience in Australia and overseas and was well aware of her ethical obligations.

Ms Tay arrived in Australia in December 2007 after working as a nurse overseas where she obtained her registration in 2010.

“Both patients suffered serious adverse consequences from her actions,” the tribunal said.

“Not surprisingly, the boundary breaches led to serious breaches of confidentiality in relation to three patients.”

The tribunal found Ms Tay’s actions amounted to professional misconduct and they cancelled her registration and disqualified from applying to be re-registered as a health practitioner for 12 months.