Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Katie Woolf spoke with Health Minister Natasha Fyles on the ongoing health crisis in the NT

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Katie Woolf spoke with Health Minister Natasha Fyles on the ongoing health crisis in the NT · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Joining me on the line right now is the Minister
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: for Tourism and Health, Natasha Files.
• 0:04
  Speaker 2: Good morning to you.
• 0:06
  Speaker 3: Good morning Katie, and territories love those tourism vouchers. It
• 0:10
  Speaker 3: took two minutes and nine seconds for them to be
• 0:13
  Speaker 3: snapped up. But don't panish if you're on the weight list.
• 0:16
  Speaker 3: We did see everybody in the previous round allocated a
• 0:19
  Speaker 3: voucher that was weightlisted.
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: So two minutes and nine seconds and exactly how many
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: vouchers was that?
• 0:27
  Speaker 3: So that was fourteen thousand vouchers and we saw in
• 0:30
  Speaker 3: total forty thousand people registered for vouchers.
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: So what's going to happen to all of those people
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: that weren't able to get their hands on a voucher.
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: I understand that they're now on a wait list.
• 0:41
  Speaker 3: Yes, Katie. So people that were successful in getting a
• 0:44
  Speaker 3: voucher will receive those vouchers later this week. They've got
• 0:47
  Speaker 3: two weeks to make their booking with one of our
• 0:50
  Speaker 3: tourism organizations, the Peak Bodies Tourism top Ends for example.
• 0:54
  Speaker 3: Then once the vouchers, people start to redeem them and
• 0:59
  Speaker 3: they might not used a full allocation, or they might
• 1:02
  Speaker 3: not travel further than the four hundred kilometers and be
• 1:04
  Speaker 3: eligible for the two hundred dollars bonus. We start to
• 1:07
  Speaker 3: see those next people that are on the weight list
• 1:09
  Speaker 3: issued with vouchers, and as I said, everybody in the
• 1:11
  Speaker 3: previous round ended up with a voucher in the end.
• 1:14
  Speaker 3: But this is a really wonderful program to support tourism
• 1:17
  Speaker 3: and hospitality operators who continue to be hard hit by
• 1:20
  Speaker 3: their global pandemic.
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: And were there any teething issues last night? I know
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: in the past we have had some teething issues. Was
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: that the case last night?
• 1:28
  Speaker 3: That was a very polite way of you putting that, Katie. No,
• 1:31
  Speaker 3: thanks to our IC people. They worked really hard. We
• 1:34
  Speaker 3: did see previous rounds the systems not cope with all
• 1:37
  Speaker 3: those territories. But last night the system, as far as
• 1:40
  Speaker 3: I'm aware, worked really well. I jumped on and had
• 1:42
  Speaker 3: a look and so thanks to those IT people for
• 1:46
  Speaker 3: making sure that people didn't have to get frustrated. And
• 1:48
  Speaker 3: if you are on the weight list, still plan your adventure.
• 1:51
  Speaker 3: If you haven't registered, head along and make sure you
• 1:55
  Speaker 3: get your name on the weight list, because chances are
• 1:56
  Speaker 3: you will get a vouchers.
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: So two minutes and nine seconds than to snap up
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: all fourteen thousand of those vouchers.
• 2:03
  Speaker 3: Is that a record, Katie, I'm not sure I think
• 2:06
  Speaker 3: it would be. We saw thirty thousand unique page views
• 2:11
  Speaker 3: in the first five minutes, so that's a lot of Territorians.
• 2:14
  Speaker 3: And as I just said, it's really about supporting an industry.
• 2:17
  Speaker 3: The government provided five million dollars for the vouchers and
• 2:20
  Speaker 3: we will allocate all of that to the industry. So
• 2:23
  Speaker 3: if you didn't get a voucher, or you get on
• 2:26
  Speaker 3: the wait list, but it's really about getting out supporting
• 2:28
  Speaker 3: that industry, particularly if we're heading to the wet season
• 2:31
  Speaker 3: in the North and that the summer in Central Australia.
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: All right, let's move along and talk about the health situation.
• 2:37
  Speaker 1: We know that health staff have been in contact with
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: the station with serious concerns about staffing levels in emergency
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: at the Palmerston Regional Hospital. How many beds are now
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: operational at this point out at the Palmerston Hospital emergency department.
• 2:53
  Speaker 3: So Katie, it's a twenty four bed emergency department facility
• 2:56
  Speaker 3: and advised that are all twenty four beds are operational now.
• 3:00
  Speaker 3: That could have changed this morning and I haven't been
• 3:03
  Speaker 3: fully updated, but it's a twenty four bed facility, and
• 3:07
  Speaker 3: as we did see last week, from time to time
• 3:09
  Speaker 3: not all the beds of staff. But it's not something
• 3:11
  Speaker 3: that happens regularly.
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: But your understanding is as of this morning, all twenty
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: four of those beds are back to being operational.
• 3:19
  Speaker 3: Correct. I don't have advice to the difference of that,
• 3:22
  Speaker 3: and Katie, we certainly acknowledge. Recruitment's been a challenge for
• 3:25
  Speaker 3: all health organizations and we've put in place and active
• 3:27
  Speaker 3: plans to ensure that we can see the fast tracking
• 3:31
  Speaker 3: of nurses and health staff into our system.
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: Well, I will get to that, but I do want
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: to ask, I mean, at this point in time, do
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: you have the staff that you actually need to realistically
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: keep the Palmeston Emergency operating.
• 3:44
  Speaker 3: The Katie staff for health is always a challenge. We
• 3:47
  Speaker 3: always have recruitment open and so Katie, we certainly are
• 3:51
  Speaker 3: working and as I just mentioned, we're fast working with
• 3:53
  Speaker 3: the Commonwealth around visas for some people growing our own workforce.
• 3:57
  Speaker 3: So there's a number of measures in place as well
• 3:59
  Speaker 3: as is invented to get people working in Mt Health.
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: Well, on that note, we have obviously spoken at length
• 4:05
  Speaker 1: about the issues that we're seeing within the health system
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: when it comes to those nursing staff. Particularly last week
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: on the show The Nursing with Reunion revealed up to
• 4:14
  Speaker 1: one hundred workers would be required from overseas to fill
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: job shortages which are being experienced.
• 4:20
  Speaker 2: You confirm that.
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: This is being considered as an option, but nurses have
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: told three p sixty that there's no time for considering
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: this plan. It needs to happen immediately, and that is
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: exactly what we heard from the AMA's doctor Robert Parker yesterday.
• 4:35
  Speaker 2: Take a listen.
• 4:36
  Speaker 4: We need them now, We need them, you know. That's
• 4:38
  Speaker 4: why I so we probably need to if we can
• 4:40
  Speaker 4: get mango pickers over here to pick mangoes, which is
• 4:42
  Speaker 4: excellent of course for the farmers, we need a similar
• 4:45
  Speaker 4: bubble to get nursing staff from trained nursing staff, you know,
• 4:49
  Speaker 4: who are properly qualified and credentials here as soon as possible.
• 4:53
  Speaker 1: So Minister, have those plans progressed since we spoke on Friday.
• 4:58
  Speaker 3: So, Katie, we've been working closely with Commonwealth government constructively,
• 5:02
  Speaker 3: and I have written to the Commonwealth seeking support to
• 5:05
  Speaker 3: fast trusts of visa approvals for overseas doctors, nurses, and
• 5:08
  Speaker 3: midwife along with Allied Health to help us build those gaps.
• 5:12
  Speaker 3: We're aiming, as I said to you on Friday, we
• 5:13
  Speaker 3: need about fifty to seventy stuff. They're mainly in the emergency,
• 5:16
  Speaker 3: post operative and psychiatric care. But we certainly have got
• 5:20
  Speaker 3: a recruitment campaign. Health have been really focused on this
• 5:23
  Speaker 3: over the last few weeks and I'm advised that we
• 5:25
  Speaker 3: are seeing some success and we're working with the Commonwealth
• 5:28
  Speaker 3: to make sure those people get visas to enter the country.
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: So at this point in time, how many have we recruited.
• 5:35
  Speaker 3: I don't have the exact figure, Kadian and.
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: Help in the tens in the twenties. I mean, are
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: we literally like, are we talking in the tens the twenties,
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: Because from what I'm hearing from nurses within the health
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: system right now, we can't afford to still be in
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: that planning process. They are wanting to know where we're
• 5:52
  Speaker 1: at now in terms of how many nurses we've actually recruited.
• 5:57
  Speaker 3: Katie, We're always actively recruiting nurses in the health It's
• 6:00
  Speaker 3: a constant cycle. We have people that join the team
• 6:03
  Speaker 3: and we have people for various reasons that leave, and
• 6:05
  Speaker 3: so I'm advised that there has been work particularly looking
• 6:08
  Speaker 3: at the overseas gaps United Kingdom, India and New Zealand,
• 6:12
  Speaker 3: and we're working with the Commonwealth to get them the
• 6:13
  Speaker 3: appropriate visas so that they can enter the territory.
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: But we don't have any idea at this point in
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: time how many have actually been recruited.
• 6:22
  Speaker 3: So Katie, it's not a matter of we're constantly recruiting.
• 6:25
  Speaker 3: So every week we have new people that join our team,
• 6:27
  Speaker 3: but we also have people that leave the team.
• 6:29
  Speaker 2: Okay.
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: In recent months, we know that in Western Australia, for example,
• 6:32
  Speaker 1: they announced that they'd be offering eight thousand dollars for
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: flights and relocation costs, and they'd also be covering the
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: bill for two weeks mandatory hotel quarantine. We know that
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: it is going to be difficult realistically for us to
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: get those good skilled nurses, doctors, as you'd said, all
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: of those different healthcare professionals here to the Northern Territory.
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: Are we going to be offering any kind of incentives
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: because realistically there are other states now that seem to
• 6:58
  Speaker 1: be well and truly ahead of us.
• 7:00
  Speaker 3: So Katie, recruiting health staff is always competitive, and so
• 7:03
  Speaker 3: we do offer packages. We do work with individuals around
• 7:06
  Speaker 3: their relocation needs. If quarantine is a factor, we certainly
• 7:10
  Speaker 3: can cover those costs. So we look at the qualifications
• 7:13
  Speaker 3: they're bringing, the roles they will be filling, and certainly
• 7:16
  Speaker 3: work with them around the best incentives to attract them
• 7:19
  Speaker 3: to the territory.
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: So what are we offering those that we're trying to
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: recruit at the moment from overseas.
• 7:25
  Speaker 3: So there's a range of packages, Katie, that are offered,
• 7:27
  Speaker 3: and they depend on the skill set and the role
• 7:29
  Speaker 3: that someone will fill, and they vary quite greatly. Sometimes
• 7:32
  Speaker 3: we relocate people here and their families, so that'll include airfares,
• 7:36
  Speaker 3: transportation of their personal items. Other times they might come
• 7:40
  Speaker 3: in on shorter term contract. There's a range of measures
• 7:43
  Speaker 3: that are put in place to ensure that the territory
• 7:45
  Speaker 3: is competitive in attracting these staff. And we're also open
• 7:48
  Speaker 3: to different ideas and help directly recruit, working with the
• 7:52
  Speaker 3: Office of Public Employment starts to come into the health system.
• 7:55
  Speaker 1: So when do you anticipate that you are going to
• 7:58
  Speaker 1: have those fifty two seventy staff.
• 8:02
  Speaker 3: So Katie, as I said, it's not a matter we
• 8:04
  Speaker 3: can recruit seventy people in the next three or four weeks,
• 8:07
  Speaker 3: but we might have people that leave the organizations for
• 8:09
  Speaker 3: various reasons. So we're constantly recruiting into these roles, and
• 8:13
  Speaker 3: we are always actively in encouraging people. We work with
• 8:17
  Speaker 3: graduates with the graduate programs to get people, so we're
• 8:20
  Speaker 3: always open to different ideas and putting different things in
• 8:23
  Speaker 3: place to attract staff within the health system.
• 8:25
  Speaker 2: Well, let's be really blunt about it.
• 8:27
  Speaker 1: I mean, cav Hatcher said on the show last week,
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: we need one hundred nurses, you know, as.
• 8:31
  Speaker 2: Quickly as possible.
• 8:33
  Speaker 1: Doctor Robert Parker said on the show yesterday that we
• 8:35
  Speaker 1: need them immediately. I'm speaking to nurses off air who
• 8:39
  Speaker 1: are saying that we need them immediately. So with the
• 8:42
  Speaker 1: utmost respect, I think to say that we're constantly recruiting
• 8:46
  Speaker 1: is maybe a little bit laxed.
• 8:47
  Speaker 2: We need to realistically, by.
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: The sounds of what they're saying, be going on a
• 8:52
  Speaker 1: full blown recruitment campaign to make sure that we can
• 8:54
  Speaker 1: get these nurses here sooner rather than later.
• 8:58
  Speaker 3: Katie. That's what we're doing when I say we're con recruiting.
• 9:00
  Speaker 3: If there is somebody that is qualified and we have
• 9:03
  Speaker 3: you know that they're appropriate to work in our system,
• 9:05
  Speaker 3: we will recruit them.
• 9:06
  Speaker 1: So you can't tell us how many you've actually recruited,
• 9:09
  Speaker 1: or you can't actually give us any numbers in terms
• 9:11
  Speaker 1: of how quickly you're anticipating that they're going to arrive.
• 9:14
  Speaker 1: I mean, these are the kind of questions that are
• 9:17
  Speaker 1: being asked by the Nurses Union, by the AMA buy
• 9:20
  Speaker 1: nurses out there right now who really need that support
• 9:23
  Speaker 1: and want more staff in those emergency departments.
• 9:27
  Speaker 3: Katie, I'm not sure how more I can explain it.
• 9:29
  Speaker 3: We need fifty to seventy nurses in those three key
• 9:32
  Speaker 3: areas that I just described to you. We also have
• 9:34
  Speaker 3: a constant recruitment campaign. It's not like a job is
• 9:37
  Speaker 3: advertised and people have to get an application in. We
• 9:39
  Speaker 3: have clinical nurse managers that can access resumes and can
• 9:43
  Speaker 3: get people into roles going through the appropriate processes. Mind you,
• 9:46
  Speaker 3: we mustn't shortcut that, but we are constantly open to
• 9:49
  Speaker 3: recruiting and attracting new people into nursing.
• 9:52
  Speaker 1: So how many of those fifty to seventy nurses have
• 9:55
  Speaker 1: you recruited?
• 9:57
  Speaker 3: So, Katie, I've just explained it to you, and I
• 9:59
  Speaker 3: can't keep repeating myself. We are constantly right now, recruitment
• 10:04
  Speaker 3: is open for nursing for anyone that is qualified coming
• 10:07
  Speaker 3: into those positions.
• 10:09
  Speaker 1: Can you understand how people listening this morning though, would
• 10:11
  Speaker 1: be thinking that It's one thing to say that you
• 10:13
  Speaker 1: are constantly recruiting, but you're not actually able to say
• 10:16
  Speaker 1: how many you've recruited.
• 10:19
  Speaker 3: Katie, I've answered the question. I'm not sure I can
• 10:21
  Speaker 3: answer it anymore.
• 10:22
  Speaker 1: But you actually have it. You haven't told us how
• 10:24
  Speaker 1: many people have been recruited.
• 10:26
  Speaker 3: So Katie, I've just said to you, we believe we
• 10:28
  Speaker 3: need fifty to seventy nurses in three categories as well
• 10:31
  Speaker 3: as of course other nurses. We have applications open and
• 10:34
  Speaker 3: there's nothing more that I can say to that than
• 10:38
  Speaker 3: we understand the issue of nurses is so important and
• 10:40
  Speaker 3: our staff are the key and we're always actively recruiting.
• 10:44
  Speaker 3: The process is our clinical nurse managers, so they head
• 10:46
  Speaker 3: up for different divisions, so maternity for example, ED psychiatrics.
• 10:50
  Speaker 3: They have access to a range of resumes, so if
• 10:52
  Speaker 3: somebody is interested in coming to the territory, they can
• 10:55
  Speaker 3: do that online, they can forward it. Those clinical nurse
• 10:57
  Speaker 3: managers can look at those resumes and if I believe
• 11:00
  Speaker 3: someone is acceptable and would be great in a position.
• 11:03
  Speaker 3: They can then work with human resources within the Department
• 11:06
  Speaker 3: of Health to make sure that everything is checked and balanced,
• 11:10
  Speaker 3: and then we can offer them a package. So it
• 11:12
  Speaker 3: is always open. It's not like a job perhaps in
• 11:15
  Speaker 3: another area where a job is identified, it goes through
• 11:18
  Speaker 3: a process. Applications are open. We constantly take nurses into
• 11:22
  Speaker 3: our system.
• 11:23
  Speaker 2: All right.
• 11:23
  Speaker 1: We have had quite a few concerns raised yesterday by
• 11:27
  Speaker 1: nurse graduates as well. I'm sure that this is something
• 11:30
  Speaker 1: that you've probably been spoken to about, because I know
• 11:33
  Speaker 1: that cath Hatch has raised it with us as well.
• 11:36
  Speaker 1: So we basically received a message as well yesterday from
• 11:39
  Speaker 1: one of our nurse graduates. She said that she's spent
• 11:41
  Speaker 1: the last four years studying her Bachelor of Nursing with
• 11:44
  Speaker 1: Charles Darwin University. It took her an extra year to
• 11:47
  Speaker 1: finish because of not being able to complete those practical
• 11:50
  Speaker 1: side of things, partly because of COVID, but mostly because
• 11:54
  Speaker 1: there isn't enough positions for students to do placements. She
• 11:57
  Speaker 1: said she knows people that have obviously waited low but
• 12:00
  Speaker 1: she's now finished and she is awaiting that registration to
• 12:03
  Speaker 1: come through from the Nursing and mid were free board.
• 12:06
  Speaker 1: She's been scanning Seek daily obviously for positions to apply for,
• 12:11
  Speaker 1: and almost every single placement that is in there or
• 12:14
  Speaker 1: ad that's placed in there is looking for registered nurses
• 12:17
  Speaker 1: that do require a minimum of twelve months experience.
• 12:21
  Speaker 2: Some roles obviously need quite a bit more.
• 12:23
  Speaker 1: I think we all understand that we need some really
• 12:26
  Speaker 1: experienced nurses and midwives within the health system. But is
• 12:29
  Speaker 1: there some capacity here for us to maybe speed things
• 12:33
  Speaker 1: up with our graduate nurses to get them in there
• 12:36
  Speaker 1: sooner rather than later and utilize their skills.
• 12:39
  Speaker 3: So, Katie, when someone does nursing, they study at university
• 12:42
  Speaker 3: and they're working to get their degree, and they have
• 12:44
  Speaker 3: practical placements, and we have to make sure that they
• 12:46
  Speaker 3: have the appropriate supervision for that. They then can enter
• 12:49
  Speaker 3: through a grad program as a graduate program to give
• 12:53
  Speaker 3: them the additional skills. So I can't come in on
• 12:55
  Speaker 3: the specific listeners inquiry. I'm happy to if you forward
• 12:58
  Speaker 3: us some details to make or help look into it.
• 13:01
  Speaker 3: But this is part of the processes that we have
• 13:04
  Speaker 3: that they can get that support. That we have different
• 13:07
  Speaker 3: continual intakes of nurses and we need to make sure
• 13:10
  Speaker 3: that we fulfill positions and it is really important that
• 13:13
  Speaker 3: people have the right clinical experience to go into the
• 13:16
  Speaker 3: role that is open at that time.
• 13:19
  Speaker 2: Well, and I know it's a tough one at the moment.
• 13:21
  Speaker 1: We obviously heard from Scott Bowman, the vice chancellor at
• 13:24
  Speaker 1: charles Dale and University yesterday as well, who said that
• 13:26
  Speaker 1: there are up to he didn't have the exact figure,
• 13:29
  Speaker 1: but up to fifty nurses who've completed their degrees but
• 13:33
  Speaker 1: they've been unable to get their practical placements. I know
• 13:36
  Speaker 1: that this would have been difficult over the last eighteen
• 13:39
  Speaker 1: months with the situation that we've seen with COVID right
• 13:41
  Speaker 1: around the nation. But is there something more that we
• 13:44
  Speaker 1: could be doing in this space? Do you reckon to
• 13:46
  Speaker 1: try and speed them up, to grow our own and
• 13:48
  Speaker 1: get them into the hospitals as quickly as possible.
• 13:52
  Speaker 3: So nurses don't only undertake practical placement within the antique
• 13:55
  Speaker 3: government health system. They can go and work with our
• 13:57
  Speaker 3: aboriginal medical organizations. They can go on work with GPS
• 14:01
  Speaker 3: and private providers and so part of for them doing
• 14:04
  Speaker 3: their degree is they do their degree, but then they
• 14:06
  Speaker 3: need to get those placements and they have to have
• 14:08
  Speaker 3: a variety of placements and then of course the specialist
• 14:11
  Speaker 3: training that they'd like to go down the path is
• 14:13
  Speaker 3: a factor as well. So certainly, always happy to work
• 14:17
  Speaker 3: and we do work with childs Dale University. It is
• 14:19
  Speaker 3: something that's been impacted by COVID because people haven't had
• 14:22
  Speaker 3: the ability to travel and do those placements in some cases.
• 14:26
  Speaker 3: But always happy to look at how we can be
• 14:28
  Speaker 3: more flexible, but we do need to make sure that
• 14:30
  Speaker 3: they're meeting the requirements and they get the appropriate supervision
• 14:33
  Speaker 3: to get their qualifications.
• 14:35
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and look, we all understand that. I think that
• 14:37
  Speaker 1: we've got to make sure that it's all happening properly.
• 14:40
  Speaker 1: But by the sounds of it, there are some significant delays.
• 14:44
  Speaker 3: So Katie, I think it's also comes back to the
• 14:46
  Speaker 3: point you were just questioning me about we have people
• 14:49
  Speaker 3: that have, you know, perhaps gone to university and got
• 14:51
  Speaker 3: a nurse's degree, but have they got the appropriate clinical experience?
• 14:55
  Speaker 3: Is it the specialty And particularly with the challenges we're
• 14:59
  Speaker 3: facing now, it's in emergency nursing, psychiatric nursing and post
• 15:04
  Speaker 3: operative surgery care, so it's quite complex. It's just not
• 15:09
  Speaker 3: a matter of oh, there's ten nurses over there, let's
• 15:11
  Speaker 3: get them here. We need to make sure they have
• 15:14
  Speaker 3: the right qualifications within our system. I can tell you
• 15:16
  Speaker 3: for example, in mental health, the system changed some years
• 15:19
  Speaker 3: ago and Australia wide we're seeing a real need for mental
• 15:23
  Speaker 3: health nurses. So we within our system are looking at
• 15:26
  Speaker 3: how we can get people that are nursing and make
• 15:29
  Speaker 3: sure if they're interested in going into psychiatric nursing, how
• 15:32
  Speaker 3: can we support them through that program. So there's certainly
• 15:35
  Speaker 3: lots of innovation happening, not only within education providers the universities,
• 15:39
  Speaker 3: but within the Department of Health to grow our.
• 15:41
  Speaker 2: Own all right.
• 15:42
  Speaker 1: One of the other issues that continues to bubble along,
• 15:45
  Speaker 1: and I know that the Northern Territory News has covered
• 15:47
  Speaker 1: this or fairly extensively. It is this letter that was
• 15:49
  Speaker 1: sent by Royal Darwin and Palmerston Hospitals Medical Services Acting
• 15:54
  Speaker 1: Deputy Director Colin Fakerey to junior doctors warning of a
• 15:59
  Speaker 1: twelve months and if they resign early. It's been slammed
• 16:03
  Speaker 1: by health experts. But Minister, did you think this letter
• 16:06
  Speaker 1: was appropriate?
• 16:08
  Speaker 3: No, Katie, I don't think it. I think that it
• 16:11
  Speaker 3: was sent with good intentions, but I don't think it
• 16:13
  Speaker 3: highlighted the hard work, how difficult it's been and we
• 16:16
  Speaker 3: all know the challenges of not being able to travel,
• 16:18
  Speaker 3: not seeing family and friends. So no, I don't agree
• 16:20
  Speaker 3: with the tone of that letter.
• 16:21
  Speaker 1: I mean, what do we need to be doing in
• 16:23
  Speaker 1: this space, because if we have got a situation where
• 16:26
  Speaker 1: some junior doctors as they've been referred to in this
• 16:29
  Speaker 1: letter are leaving because of that pressure, what do we
• 16:33
  Speaker 1: need to do Because you know, from what we can gather,
• 16:36
  Speaker 1: I know that you're obviously working very hard. We've got
• 16:38
  Speaker 1: so many people that are working incredibly hard within the
• 16:41
  Speaker 1: health system, but it does seem as though we are
• 16:44
  Speaker 1: seriously lacking staff.
• 16:46
  Speaker 2: And then you know, by the sounds.
• 16:48
  Speaker 1: Of the reporting that we've seen here with these junior doctors,
• 16:50
  Speaker 1: they're then leaving because of that additional stress.
• 16:53
  Speaker 2: How can we try to sort this.
• 16:56
  Speaker 3: The Katie, I'm not disputing that junior doctors don't leave
• 16:58
  Speaker 3: the system because of and anxiety, but what we do
• 17:02
  Speaker 3: see is towards the end of placements, people have got
• 17:06
  Speaker 3: positions in other institutions and jurisdictions, and this is not
• 17:10
  Speaker 3: just within Australia. Doctors in Melbourne, for example, might leave
• 17:13
  Speaker 3: to head home to the UK, and so we do
• 17:15
  Speaker 3: see in that lead up to the end of the year.
• 17:17
  Speaker 3: Because these contracts tend to go January to January, we
• 17:20
  Speaker 3: do tend to see people leave, which adds a burden
• 17:23
  Speaker 3: to this system. So that's my understanding. It's a very
• 17:26
  Speaker 3: operational matter. I did not agree with the tone of
• 17:29
  Speaker 3: the letter in the sense of supporting our junior doctors,
• 17:31
  Speaker 3: but I've made that clear to the department. But it
• 17:34
  Speaker 3: really isn't matter for the Department of Health to manage.
• 17:36
  Speaker 1: Now Minster Just finally, one of the other things that
• 17:39
  Speaker 1: we've been contacted about. We spoke to about it briefly
• 17:42
  Speaker 1: on Friday during the week that was But boarding school
• 17:45
  Speaker 1: and that national code, is it something that the Northern
• 17:49
  Speaker 1: Territory is going to be prepared to implement. We know
• 17:52
  Speaker 1: that we've got some boarding school students who are wanting
• 17:55
  Speaker 1: to come back or wanted to throughout the last school
• 17:57
  Speaker 1: holidays and to isolate in many cases out on their
• 18:00
  Speaker 1: you know, out on remote properties at stations and that
• 18:04
  Speaker 1: kind of thing. Is it something that we're looking at
• 18:06
  Speaker 1: doing for the Northern Territory.
• 18:09
  Speaker 3: So it's a really difficult space that can understand parents
• 18:12
  Speaker 3: and we've seen this for nearly eighteen months, two years
• 18:15
  Speaker 3: where children returning to the Northern Territory have to uphold
• 18:17
  Speaker 3: the quarantine requirements that have kept us safe. We do
• 18:20
  Speaker 3: try and work to make it as easy as possible.
• 18:22
  Speaker 3: But as we step through to eighty percent with the
• 18:25
  Speaker 3: double vaccination, that will provide a new opportunity. But I
• 18:28
  Speaker 3: know the Minister of Education has been working closely with
• 18:30
  Speaker 3: Centator Bridge at Mackenzie around this. But we do need
• 18:33
  Speaker 3: to make sure we uphold those health principles of quarantining
• 18:36
  Speaker 3: to keep the virus out of our community.
• 18:38
  Speaker 1: I mean, if there is a situation though, where they
• 18:40
  Speaker 1: can isolate sort of at a station, let's say where
• 18:45
  Speaker 1: they come from, is that not an option.
• 18:49
  Speaker 3: The Katie I won't comment specifically on that situation, but
• 18:52
  Speaker 3: there's a number of scenarios that are provided to health,
• 18:54
  Speaker 3: but when they're robustly tested, we can't ensure that the
• 18:58
  Speaker 3: surveillance and the compliance is there. So the Territory Controller
• 19:01
  Speaker 3: certainly and the Chief Health Officer have looked at these
• 19:03
  Speaker 3: issues and as we become more vaccinated, we're very hopeful
• 19:07
  Speaker 3: that we'll be able to step away from that. But
• 19:08
  Speaker 3: I know the Minister for Education has been working really
• 19:11
  Speaker 3: closely with the Commonwealth around this issue to support those
• 19:14
  Speaker 3: families and hopefully at the end of term four, which
• 19:16
  Speaker 3: will be December, we will see that double vaccination and
• 19:19
  Speaker 3: will certainly be in a different scenario.
• 19:21
  Speaker 1: Well Health Minister and Tourism Minister Natasha Files, we always
• 19:25
  Speaker 1: appreciate your time.
• 19:26
  Speaker 2: Thank you for speaking with us this morning.
• 19:29
  Speaker 3: Thank you