Basildon Hospital nurse Abiola Apara guilty of misconduct
A nurse has been found guilty of misconduct after a tribunal heard she made a colleague run personal errands for her while he was on duty.
Abiola Olukemi Apara was accused of asking a support worker at Basildon Hospital in Essex to take her car to a garage and drive her to Ikea.
The Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) found six out of seven charges, which dated from 2002 to 2007, were proven.
The NMC will now decide whether Apara should be struck off.
The conduct and competence committee of the NMC, which had been sitting in London, also heard the support worker was told to fit new lights at her home, put sealant around her bath, fix a leaking tap, install a washing machine and mend a conservatory lock.
Basildon & Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Trust said Apara was dismissed in May 2007 after bullying allegations were made against her.
'You. Office. Now'
Apara, who worked on the hospital's Lionel Cousins ward, denied the charges and claimed they were part of a "conspiracy" by her former colleagues.
The tribunal heard she was able to produce a good reference from her current employers in Nigeria.
The NMC also heard that a female nurse was asked to provide a reference for Apara's daughter, whom she had never met.
Apara also did not speak to a ward sister for five weeks and only communicated with her via notes left in the staff room.
She also behaved inappropriately to a ward hostess by shouting "You. Office. Now" at her and not speaking to her for about 17 weeks, the hearing was told.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council is due to complete its hearing by 30 January.
Apara denied all the charges. One charge - that she was alleged to have instructed another male member of staff to call in sick and drive her to London and back - was found not to be proven.