KEY POINTS:
An elderly woman told today how her nurse allegedly emptied her bank accounts of least $57,000.
The nurse was said to have withdrawn or transferred money from the woman's bank accounts on 112 occasions.
The 86-year-old was giving evidence at a Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal in Auckland at which the nurse is accused of professional misconduct.
The nurse has not been charged with criminal offences but the tribunal's professional conduct committee said the nurse's behaviour, if proven, "clearly meets a threshold for the finding of professional misconduct".
The names of the woman and nurse were both suppressed.
The hearing was told the alleged offending occurred after the woman moved into a south Auckland rest home to be near her husband who was a patient. The nurse worked at the home.
The woman told the tribunal the nurse's behaviour was "utterly despicable" and she felt deceived.
She said the nurse had told her she needed money or she would lose her home.
She said she regularly transferred money into the nurse's account, often between $2000 and $5000 at a time.
She also said the nurse brought in a blank will form and asked her to get two witnesses to sign it. The witnesses refused.
The hearing is continuing.
- NZPA
