Nurse claimed son had cancer

A nurse has had her registration cancelled after she repeatedly lied to get sick leave - by saying her son had cancer and was being treated in hospital.

The woman, who was a registered nurse in Te Awamutu, also made up a fake email using an Auckland doctor's name when her employer asked for a medical certificate proving that her son was in hospital.

She also accepted $300 from concerned colleagues to help pay her petrol costs.

She has since been disciplined by the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal, which released its findings on the case yesterday.

Between October 1-November 30 in 2009, the woman was given 15 days' sick leave from her job in a clinic at the Waikato Hospital.

During that time, the nurse - who cannot be named for legal reasons - contacted her employer, via text message, claiming that her son needed to be taken to the doctor.

The boy's condition apparently deteriorated and over the next few days and weeks she contacted her employer claiming that he had been diagnosed with cancer and was being treated at the Starship children's hospital in Auckland.

In the tribunal's findings, evidence given by the woman's employer said: "[The employer's] recollection is that [the nurse] said initially that it was a brain problem, then later changed this to being a tumour on his pancreas and later on his spleen."

When her employer asked for a medical certificate, the clinic received an email claiming to be from a "Dr E", which explained her son's treatment and why she had been off work.

The email was signed with the doctor's full name and with the Auckland District Health Board's address.

When the woman stopped coming to work altogether and could not be contacted, the employer called Starship children's hospital in a bid to try and speak to the woman.

It was then revealed that the hospital had no record of the boy receiving treatment and the email supposedly given by the doctor had been a fake.

The boy's school also confirmed that he had not been away sick.

The woman did not attend the hearing and has not given an explanation as to why she lied.

In its findings, the tribunal said that claiming sick leave on the basis of a false illness of a child was particularly reprehensible and worthy of condemnation.