Central Coast nurse Sarah Gahan has registration cancelled, ordered to pay Health commission costs

A Central Coast nurse who was convicted of punching a 12-year-old child in the face before lying about criminal convictions has learned her fate.

A Central Coast nurse convicted of assaulting a 12-year-old child who she punched her in the face during a drunken incident has had her registration cancelled and has been ordered to pay major legal costs.

From 1988 to January 2019, veteran nurse Sarah Gahan worked for Central Coast Local Health District at Gosford Hospital as well as a series of private facilities and nursing homes on the Central Coast and across Sydney.

Venues included the Chamberlain Gardens nursing home in Wyoming and Bethshan Gardens aged care facility in Wyee.

Sarah Gahan worked as a registered nurse at Gosford Hospital (AAP Image/Sue Graham)

In January 2019, the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency was notified by NSW Police the Central Coast woman was being investigated for having provided a false National Police Certificate to her employer.

The woman appeared before the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal in March and April following allegations she provided fake criminal checks following her June 2007 convictions of two counts of common assault.

Ms Gahan was also convicted of driving with mid-range prescribed concentration of alcohol after she was arrested and charged while on her way to pick up her children from school in June 2007.

On January 14 2008, June 15 2009 and again on April 23 2010, the nurse was convicted for knowingly contravening an ADVO before she was hit with two convictions in March 2013 including another breach of an ADVO and stalk or intimidate with the intention of causing a person to fear physical or mental harm.

Ms Gahan worked at Gosford Hospital as well as several other private facilities and aged care homes following the 2007 to 2013 convictions.

Court documents revealed Ms Gahan worked as a registered nurse at Gosford Hospital from April 2013 to September 2017.

“Her employment was terminated following a notification received from the Office of the Children’s Guardian that Ms Gahan did not have a valid Working with Children Check,” NCAT members overseeing the decision said.

On April 12 the tribunal found the nurse had been convicted of criminal offences, is guilty of unsatisfactory professional conduct and also guilty of professional misconduct.

A HCCC spokeswoman said the tribunal found that the “deliberate falsification of a legal document was a complete departure from accepted standards and undermined the important role that criminal history checks play in public safety”.

“While accepting that Ms Gahan was remorseful, the Tribunal noted that the gravity and length of her conduct justified a finding of professional misconduct,” the spokeswoman said.

“The Tribunal cancelled Ms Gahan’s registration and set a non-review period of 12 months.”

When asked what steps were taken to ensure the credibility of working with children and police checks when Ms Gahan was hired as a registered nurse at Gosford Hospital in 2013 a Central Coast Local Health District spokeswoman said: Termination or suspension of employment as a health worker “may occur as a consequence of poor work place performance or when mandatory screening checks with independent statutory bodies responsible for an individual’s criminal records and professional conduct flag an issue”.

“When CCLHD was notified about such concerns in 2017, immediate and appropriate action was taken and the employment of the individual was terminated,” the spokeswoman said.

On May 19, the NCAT ordered Ms Gahan to pay 80 per cent of the HCCC legal costs.

“I see no reason in the circumstances of this application why the applicant should not be awarded its costs,” NCAT senior member R Titterton said.