‘Serious and opportunistic’: Nursing assistant who used patients’ bank cards to make more than $100k worth of transactions handed permanent ban

A nursing assistant who used a patient’s bank card to make transactions of more than $100,000 has been slapped with a major ban.

A nursing assistant who took advantage of vulnerable patients in a series of fraud offences – including using a patient’s card to make transactions amounting to more than $100,000 – has been permanently banned from providing any health services in a bid to “protect public health and safety”.

Steven Tran, 29, who worked as an assistant in nursing (AIN), was convicted of fraud against patients and staff at hospitals across Sydney.

His behaviour was described as “serious and opportunistic” by the state’s Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC).

“In working as an assistant in nursing, Mr Tran was afforded a high level of trust to provide a safe environment,” the HCCC said in a media release.

“Mr Tran’s conduct was serious and opportunistic, taking advantage of patients that required his care and treatment and a breach of trust with fellow work colleagues.”

Steven Tran worked as an Assistant in Nursing. Picture: NewsWire / Nikki Short

Tran was employed at St Vincent’s Hospital as a casual AIN between October 2020 and November 2021 until he resigned after he was caught going through a colleague’s belongings.

Tran would later plead guilty to making 637 unauthorised transactions amounting to $111,989 using a patient’s bank card, as well as $508 worth of transactions on another patient’s bank card, while working at Prince of Wales Hospital and St Vincent’s Hospital between April 2021 and September 2021.

The patients’ details were found on their mobile phones in both cases, according to a summary of NSW Police fact sheets.

Tran also had four photographs of different patients’ bank card details on his mobile phone.

Tran was convicted of fraud against patients and staff at hospitals across Sydney. Picture: NewsWire / Nicholas Eagar

Following his resignation from St Vincent’s, Tran continued work as an AIN at hospitals throughout Sydney under an agency between February 2022 and October 2023 despite his registration being changed to unregistered in 2021.

During that time he logged into the payroll system of Northern Beaches Hospital to change a colleague’s details to his own bank details and made a series of unauthorised payments from the cards of patients, staff and his landlord amounting to more than $2000 between April 2022 and January 2023.

He also stole a gold necklace worth about $2100 from a patient, as well as cash, while they underwent an MRI.

While on bail between September and November 2023, Tran again used a patient’s details, this time in an attempt to change his name on the Birth Deaths and Marriages website before he used the same bank card to make a payment to a moving service on Airtasker.

He also had the photographs of four bank cards from people he lived with on his mobile phone and submitted a false medical certificate to Burwood Local Court as an excuse to not attend while undergoing court proceedings.

Tran was sentenced to five years in prison and has now been banned from providing any health services. Picture: NewsWire / Nikki Short

Finally, on December 5, 2023, Tran pleaded guilty to 20 offences.

The court found all patients were vulnerable and had been either unconscious or asleep during the offending.

He was sentenced to five years in prison with a non-parole period of three years and six months and was slapped with a $100,000 compensation order to the patient whose card he used to make transactions amounting to $111,989.

The HCCC said Tran had failed “to provide a health service in a safe and ethical manner” in a public statement and has banned him from providing any health services.

“The commission considers that by reason of Mr Tran’s convictions and conduct that he poses a significant risk to the health and safety of the public,” the HCCC decision read.

“Mr Steven Tran is permanently prohibited from providing any health services, either in paid employment or voluntarily, to any member of the public.”

Originally published as ‘Serious and opportunistic’: Nursing assistant who used patients’ bank cards to make more than $100k worth of transactions handed permanent ban