A nurse has had her registration suspended for three months after she was caught on camera stealing $70 from a patient's room.
Susifina Tameifuna pleaded guilty to a charge that on November 19, 2006, she stole $70 from a patient's room at the Eastcliffe on Orakei retirement village in Mission Bay, Auckland.
The patient's daughter told the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal the family had set up a security camera in her mother's room after she became concerned about several items going missing.
When the daughter visited on November 19, 2006 she left her bag in the room while she and her mother had dinner. When she returned $70 was missing from her wallet.
She took the DVD out of the camera and made copies of it.
The recording showed Ms Tameifuna entering the room, looking through the bag, searching through clothing on a bed and putting something in her pocket.
The tribunal heard Ms Tameifuna acknowledged taking the money was wrong and that she was stressed at the time, she felt tremendous shame for taking the money and was worried what would happen if the Tongan community found out about the theft.
The tribunal acknowledged her financial situation was "dire" but said Ms Tameifuna should pay $500 toward the cost of the disciplinary hearing and have her registration suspended for three months from October 1.
