Tribunal bans former nurse for eight years

21 Jan 2020

A tribunal has disqualified a former enrolled nurse from applying for registration for eight years after he behaved in a threatening manner towards his colleagues, investigators and his neighbours.

Mr Rex Willox was first registered as a nurse in January 2014. In January 2019, the NMBA referred 11 allegations of professional misconduct to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (the tribunal), relating to Mr Willox’s conduct between 2015 and 2018, concerning:

• his conduct towards several colleagues, two neighbours and investigating officers of the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA)
• findings of criminal guilt (without conviction recorded) in 2016 for harassment and stalking via text message, and
• obstructing urine and hair drug screening in 2017, which was required by the NMBA as part of a health assessment. 

Mr Willox admitted the conduct and that it amounted to professional misconduct.

The tribunal acknowledged that Mr Willox’s longstanding substance abuse issues played a role in his conduct. However, the tribunal noted the long period of the conduct and that Mr Willox had been unable or unwilling to manage his behaviour despite criminal sanctions and regulatory action. The tribunal considered that Mr Willox had demonstrated an unfitness to be a member of the nursing profession and that he had little or no insight into the impact of his conduct on others.

On 1 October 2019, the tribunal reprimanded Mr Willox, cancelled his registration and disqualified him from applying for registration as a health practitioner for eight years.

The decision is published on the Austlii website.