Diane Davies: Nurse who secretly juggled night shifts at a steel plant with her day job on a hospital ward 'put patients at risk' by working 19-hour days Diane Davies was 'too tired' to properly care for patients, court heard NHS bosses were unaware she held down two jobs for 12 years Her working week was between 77 and 82 hours, prosecution says Night job thought to have boosted her income by up to £28,000 a year An NHS nurse who secretly worked night shifts at a steel plant before driving straight to her job on a hospital ward put patients' lives at risk, a court heard. Diane Davies, 55, is accused of breaking NHS rules by working 19-hour days for 12 years, leaving her 'too tired' to properly care for patients. The court was told Davies worked from 10pm to 7am as an agency nurse at a steelworks, before driving to Swansea's Morriston Hospital for 8.15am to put in a near nine hour shift on the ward. 'Too tired': NHS nurse Diane Davies drove straight from night shifts at a Llanelli steelworks to her job at Morriston Hospital, Swansea, the court heard Davies would drive home when her shift ended at 5pm only to start the routine all over again at the steel plant five hours later, functioning on barely any sleep. Health chiefs were unaware the nurse was holding down two full-time jobs. The court heard Davies' 12 years of night shifts had boosted her income by up to £28,000 per year on top of her NHS salary. Prosecutor Kristian Jowett said: 'She was obliged to disclose her second job to the NHS but she didn't do that. Nurses are required to disclose secondary employment to their employers to ensure safe practice. The court heard Davies was promoted to staff nurse by NHS bosses in 2003, meaning it would have been part of her role to ensure other staff followed such policies. Details of Davies' punishing daily schedule at Trostre steelworks in Llanelli, South Wales, were given to the jury. The prosecution claims she had a working week of between 77 and 82 hours spread over four days. Punishing: Between her jobs at Trostre steelworks and Morriston Hospital (pictured), Davies put in a working week of between 77 and 82 hours, the prosecution claims The court heard Davies' contract at Morriston Hospital was for a minimum of 37-and-a-half hours each week. During her employment at the steelworks through Acorn Recruitment, she worked between 40 and 45 hours a week. She is accused of doing both jobs four days of the week, breaking the rules of her contract with the NHS. Julian Quirk, a senior human resources manager at the hospital, said: 'Working the hours Davies did would be almost impossible. If Davies had disclosed her full-time second job it would most definitely not have been allowed Julian Quirke, senior HR manager at Morriston Hospital It would be illogical for someone to work so many hours back-to-back. There simply would not be sufficient time for the individual to have rest. If Davies had disclosed her full-time second job it would most definitely not have been allowed. If somebody was working 19 hours a day, I cannot imagine a manager not saying that would represent a risk. The court heard how that during the 12 years at the steelworks Davies was paid between £8,471 and £28,238 each year in addition to her NHS salary. Davies, of Birchgrove, Swansea, denies putting patient safety at risk and obtaining a financial advantage by failing to disclose her second job. The experienced nurse claims she thought the hospital knew about her other employment and that she 'never hid it'. Davies, who received no complaints regarding her clinical duty, has now resigned from her role at the hospital, where she worked since 1994. The trial at Swansea Crown Court continues.