Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Katie Woolf spoke with Health Minister Natasha Fyles

Transcript

Katie Woolf spoke with Health Minister Natasha Fyles · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: You're listening to mix one oh four point nine three
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: point sixty Now. Last week we learned there was another
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: code yellow at Royal Darwin Hospital with Category two and
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: three elective surgeries postpont. It is the third code yellow
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: this year. Joining me on the line is the Health
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: Minister at Tasha Files.
• 0:18
  Speaker 2: Good morning, Good morning Katie, good morning, list moth.
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: Now Minister and news which has just come to hand.
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: In a report by Sky News Darwin's Matt Cunningham, it
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: says that doctors and senior health executives discussed shutting the
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: emergency department, one of Greater Darwin's two hospitals, during crisis
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: talks overstaff shortages. The report reads, the possibility of closing
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: the Palmerston Regional Hospital emergency department was among the options
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: being discussed earlier this month, according to several independent sources
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: familiar with that meeting.
• 0:52
  Speaker 3: Minister is that the case.
• 0:56
  Speaker 2: So, Katie, we have seen incredible pressures on our health
• 0:59
  Speaker 2: system and of that has been due to staffing. That
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: is a very operational question that you have asked, and
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: I don't have that information to hand. I do know
• 1:08
  Speaker 2: that we have got significant staffing challenges across the territory,
• 1:11
  Speaker 2: some in remote clinics, and we have seen staffing a challenge.
• 1:15
  Speaker 2: The code yellow that was called at rod Zawen Hospital
• 1:17
  Speaker 2: last week, I was advised was based on a significant
• 1:21
  Speaker 2: number of people in the emergency department. It wasn't a
• 1:23
  Speaker 2: staffing issue. So I think it's important for territories to
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: understand we do have challenges, but we certainly make sure
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: that we provide the best quality care. We listen to
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: our clinicians and their operational decisions that they make in
• 1:38
  Speaker 2: terms of calling the code yellow and in terms of
• 1:40
  Speaker 2: the discussions that you've just pointed to.
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: Well. It also says that another option raised was to
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: significantly scale back emergency department services at the hospital, with
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: just a handful of beds to be made available for
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: walking patients and ambulances directed to go straight to Royal
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: Darwin Hospital. Minister, are we in a situation here where
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: we do not have enough staff to actually run the
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: Palmeston Hospital, So, Katie, we.
• 2:06
  Speaker 2: Didn't see any of those scenarios eventuate. I was made
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: aware that Palmestan and Royal Darwen, as well as our
• 2:12
  Speaker 2: remote clinics have had those staffing challenges. Palmersin regional Hospital
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: is an important hospital for the community. In his Palmerston
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: and Darwin Hospitals working together, we consider it one hospital system,
• 2:24
  Speaker 2: but across two campuses. We have continued to see an
• 2:28
  Speaker 2: increase in demand for health services as well as the
• 2:32
  Speaker 2: COVID nineteen response, Katie, So we acknowledge that their high
• 2:35
  Speaker 2: demand and we're looking in the longer term what we
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: can do to make sure that we have sustainable services,
• 2:41
  Speaker 2: that we provide that high quality care and there's a
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: number of things that are happening as a part of that.
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: I mean right now, not though we've obviously got a
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: situation where there's been three code yellows now for Royal
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: Darwin Hospital for this year.
• 2:55
  Speaker 3: We're now hearing that, you.
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: Know, with this situation that there was the possibility is
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: actually closing the Palmerston Regional Hospital's emergency department.
• 3:05
  Speaker 3: Are our hospitals at crisis point, So, Katie, there's.
• 3:09
  Speaker 2: Been a body of work done looking at this continued
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: high demand. We know that mental health has been one
• 3:16
  Speaker 2: factor and there's significant work happening in that space and
• 3:19
  Speaker 2: there's been measures taken to date. We've got more subercit beds,
• 3:22
  Speaker 2: we're building more inpatient beds, And in terms of Palmerstan
• 3:25
  Speaker 2: Regional Hospital, what I can stress and very much for
• 3:28
  Speaker 2: your listeners, but that is an important part of our
• 3:31
  Speaker 2: health system. It delivers high quality care. It has particular
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: focuses around rehabilitation and geriatric in a brand new, modern
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: facility that is wonderful for staff and patients. And we're
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: looking across the board how we can continue to provide
• 3:46
  Speaker 2: that best patient care and safety at all times in
• 3:49
  Speaker 2: the delivery of services.
• 3:51
  Speaker 3: Is it a full capacity?
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: Is the Palmerston Regional Hospital operating at full capacity?
• 3:57
  Speaker 2: So Katie, I understand it's at it's one hundred and
• 4:00
  Speaker 2: sixteen bed facility and it's operating at about one hundred
• 4:04
  Speaker 2: beds presently. I should say the beds that aren't online
• 4:07
  Speaker 2: are some surgical beds and we're working to provide those beds.
• 4:11
  Speaker 2: Get those beds online. It's not a straightforward process, of course,
• 4:15
  Speaker 2: they need to be staffed and then we work with
• 4:17
  Speaker 2: the Commonwealth Government who provide that activity based funding. But
• 4:20
  Speaker 2: I can say that the large majority of the beds
• 4:23
  Speaker 2: at Palmerston are online and operational.
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: How many beds do we think we were going to
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: have when this hospital was initially built so it's.
• 4:31
  Speaker 2: One hundred and sixteen bed hospital, Katie, that it was
• 4:33
  Speaker 2: built for, and we were always very open that it
• 4:35
  Speaker 2: would be in a staged approach that the facility would
• 4:39
  Speaker 2: come online. And so you saw the services, some services
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: transition from Royals Island Hospital and then you saw additional
• 4:46
  Speaker 2: services added at the hospital and the services. The beds
• 4:48
  Speaker 2: remaining are some surgical beds, which, as I just explained
• 4:52
  Speaker 2: to your listeners, when that they will come online.
• 4:54
  Speaker 1: So, Minister, is that renal unit at the Palmeston Hospital
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: which had been closed off a number of weeks due
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: to a plumbing issue, is it back and operational.
• 5:05
  Speaker 2: Yes, Katie. So the renal unit was something that wasn't
• 5:08
  Speaker 2: originally in the design plan for Palmerston Regional Hospital, but
• 5:11
  Speaker 2: tragically renal is a growing demand right across the territory.
• 5:15
  Speaker 2: And so yes, we've opened that renal unit. And as
• 5:18
  Speaker 2: we've spoken about a few times, Katie, we had those
• 5:21
  Speaker 2: maintenance issues and it was reopened I understand on September seven.
• 5:25
  Speaker 1: Now, Minister, just to go back to the main point
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: of this story, I mean, the possibility of closing the
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: Palmerston Regional Hospital emergency department being among the options discussed
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: earlier this month as well as you know, significantly scaling
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: back at the emergency department services at the hospital with
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: just a handful of beds to be made available for
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: walking patients. You know, I note that you said that
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: it is almost operating at full capacity, But it doesn't
• 5:52
  Speaker 1: sound as though we're in a situation here where, you know,
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: if that's happening out at the Palmeston Hospital and then
• 5:58
  Speaker 1: at RDH at Royal Darwin Hospital, we've gone into three
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: code yellows. It really doesn't sound as though we've got
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: much capacity should we have any kind of emergency in
• 6:07
  Speaker 1: the territory, let alone and outbreak.
• 6:09
  Speaker 2: Of COVID, so, Katie, in terms of our hospital services,
• 6:13
  Speaker 2: and that's what the code yellow did last week because
• 6:16
  Speaker 2: we acknowledged we had a peak in demand. We had
• 6:18
  Speaker 2: those around thirty people that were admitted in emergency that
• 6:21
  Speaker 2: needed a bed within our hospital system and we didn't
• 6:23
  Speaker 2: have those beds available. We had bed blocked. So what
• 6:26
  Speaker 2: a code yellow does is it's the structural system and
• 6:29
  Speaker 2: it defers some categories of elective surgery so that we
• 6:33
  Speaker 2: can focus on the patients we had to hand. And
• 6:36
  Speaker 2: what our dedicated staff did was they were able to
• 6:38
  Speaker 2: turn that around and the code yellow was listed within
• 6:41
  Speaker 2: about twenty four to thirty six hours because we saw
• 6:44
  Speaker 2: that flow through of beds resuming in the hospital. But
• 6:47
  Speaker 2: I acknowledged Katie, it's a huge challenge healthcare in the
• 6:50
  Speaker 2: Northern territories, but particularly in that acute space of hospital care.
• 6:54
  Speaker 2: We are looking with roh Zalen and Palmerston hospitals Katherine
• 6:57
  Speaker 2: and Noulham Boy are fantastic assets and Norman Boy recently
• 7:01
  Speaker 2: and they've got the capacity to provide additional beds into
• 7:04
  Speaker 2: the system. And how do we have that interface because
• 7:07
  Speaker 2: we need to make sure that the care that the
• 7:09
  Speaker 2: patient receives, their level of illness and that the type
• 7:12
  Speaker 2: of care they need can be matched to those hospitals.
• 7:16
  Speaker 2: So there's a complex body of work that continues all
• 7:18
  Speaker 2: the time to make sure that we grow those services.
• 7:21
  Speaker 2: In terms of COVID, we've done a range of contingency
• 7:25
  Speaker 2: and scenario testing so if we were to see and
• 7:28
  Speaker 2: that's why the vaccination is so important, Katie, if people
• 7:30
  Speaker 2: are vaccinated and we do see the virus in our community,
• 7:34
  Speaker 2: they won't necessarily need those hospital I see you and
• 7:37
  Speaker 2: ventilate their beds they can be cared for in the
• 7:40
  Speaker 2: community with COVID, but we do have strong plans in
• 7:43
  Speaker 2: place if we were to see those higher rates of
• 7:46
  Speaker 2: hospitalization due to COVID.
• 7:48
  Speaker 1: Minister, just to go back to again that main point
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: you know of this story that Matt Cunningham has broken
• 7:54
  Speaker 1: this morning about doctors and senior health executives discussing shutting
• 7:58
  Speaker 1: the emergency department at the Palmerston Regional Hospital. I mean, realistically,
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: did that happen and is that a situation that you
• 8:07
  Speaker 1: know that you're concerned about.
• 8:10
  Speaker 2: Oh, Katie, of course I'm concerned. Our health system and
• 8:13
  Speaker 2: our hospital system is something that we've been very focused
• 8:16
  Speaker 2: on since we came to government. We delivered the Palmerston Hospital.
• 8:19
  Speaker 2: It's an important part of the Royal Darwen Hospital system
• 8:23
  Speaker 2: and we certainly always look at our operations the challenges
• 8:28
  Speaker 2: but also the future opportunities. My understanding is that there
• 8:31
  Speaker 2: was no changes to the dcare at that time, but
• 8:35
  Speaker 2: we do acknowledge that staffing is a challenge and it's
• 8:38
  Speaker 2: not just the physical infrastructure, and that's why we continually
• 8:41
  Speaker 2: work in all of this within health.
• 8:43
  Speaker 3: So are we at crisis point here?
• 8:45
  Speaker 1: I mean, if we're looking at actually shutting the emergency
• 8:48
  Speaker 1: department of one of our hospitals.
• 8:50
  Speaker 3: It doesn't sound good, Katie.
• 8:53
  Speaker 2: We're not at crisis point. Yes, we've got an incredibly
• 8:55
  Speaker 2: busy hospital system that continues to see demand grow. But
• 9:00
  Speaker 2: I've also got amazing clinicians and support staff, and we
• 9:03
  Speaker 2: continually review our operations, the challenges, the future projections that
• 9:08
  Speaker 2: we have to make sure that we have a sustainable
• 9:10
  Speaker 2: health service and a hospital system in.
• 9:12
  Speaker 3: The territory Minestralia.
• 9:14
  Speaker 1: I'm going to continue to push along because I know
• 9:16
  Speaker 1: that you've got a very busy morning and a time
• 9:18
  Speaker 1: pour this morning. You're actually in Central Australia at the
• 9:21
  Speaker 1: moment where we know that vaccination rates in some of
• 9:24
  Speaker 1: those remote areas particularly low. Is that something that you're
• 9:28
  Speaker 1: going to be focusing on while you're in Central Australia.
• 9:32
  Speaker 2: To Katie, protecting our most vulnerable territorians is our absolute priority,
• 9:36
  Speaker 2: and we know the number one protection is the COVID
• 9:38
  Speaker 2: nineteen vaccine. We've seen some great take up rates. There's
• 9:42
  Speaker 2: been over two hundred and thirty thousand doses delivered in
• 9:45
  Speaker 2: the territory. But yes, I'm down here meeting with health
• 9:48
  Speaker 2: representatives both in the aboriginal medical organizations, but also within
• 9:52
  Speaker 2: the Department of Health and traveling to community to hear
• 9:55
  Speaker 2: firsthand what's working and what are the challenges and how
• 9:59
  Speaker 2: we can overcome that. Because the virus the figures keep
• 10:02
  Speaker 2: rising on the East coast, it is seeped out of
• 10:04
  Speaker 2: New South Wales and we must do everything to protect.
• 10:07
  Speaker 1: Territory in now, Minister yesterday, the Chief Minister revealed on
• 10:10
  Speaker 1: the show that's the only thing that's realistically going to
• 10:13
  Speaker 1: change once we do meet that eighty percent vaccination rate
• 10:17
  Speaker 1: is being able to home quarantine. Now, given the fact
• 10:20
  Speaker 1: that we're still going to have to go into lockdowns
• 10:22
  Speaker 1: even once we reach the eighty percent vaccination rate, if
• 10:25
  Speaker 1: there is the threat of COVID spreading in the community
• 10:29
  Speaker 1: and industry is still going to be forced to stop
• 10:31
  Speaker 1: operating if we do go into a lockdown, what kind
• 10:34
  Speaker 1: of impact do you think that this is going to
• 10:37
  Speaker 1: have on tourism.
• 10:39
  Speaker 2: So, Katie, we know that with the COVID nineteen pandemic,
• 10:42
  Speaker 2: there's been many challenges that the virus has changed. We
• 10:46
  Speaker 2: know that vaccinations is the best public health measure, but
• 10:48
  Speaker 2: there will still be other public health measures and needed
• 10:52
  Speaker 2: and that's being such as maybe wearing a mask to
• 10:54
  Speaker 2: our code check ins. And so we can't forecast what
• 10:58
  Speaker 2: the virus is going to do, but we can and
• 11:00
  Speaker 2: protect our community. We absolutely know the devastation, particularly on tourism, hospitality,
• 11:05
  Speaker 2: small business and the economy more broadly that COVID has caused.
• 11:11
  Speaker 2: And so it is finding that balance between keeping our
• 11:14
  Speaker 2: community safe and that the huge burden that COVID would
• 11:17
  Speaker 2: have on us versus you know, those continued impacts on
• 11:23
  Speaker 2: the businesses that I just mentioned.
• 11:25
  Speaker 1: And what about you know, things like the proposed flights
• 11:27
  Speaker 1: from London to Darwood. I mean, how would something like
• 11:30
  Speaker 1: that even work if people do still have to go
• 11:32
  Speaker 1: into quarantine.
• 11:34
  Speaker 2: So, Katie, I think it depends on what are the
• 11:36
  Speaker 2: best public health measures And the Chief Ministers said that
• 11:39
  Speaker 2: over the next six to eight weeks that we will
• 11:41
  Speaker 2: be looking at our vaccination rates. There's a Doughty modeling
• 11:45
  Speaker 2: that's coming back specifically for Indigenous communities. We need to
• 11:48
  Speaker 2: look at the spread of that vaccination rate and then
• 11:51
  Speaker 2: how do we open up our community. But what public
• 11:53
  Speaker 2: health measures do we still need so that we don't
• 11:56
  Speaker 2: see such a severe impact from the coronavirus?
• 11:59
  Speaker 3: All right?
• 12:00
  Speaker 1: We are going to have to leave it there. I
• 12:01
  Speaker 1: know your press for time as am. I thank you
• 12:03
  Speaker 1: very much for having a chat with us this morning.
• 12:06
  Speaker 1: Thank you Minister for Health and also Minister for Tourism.
• 12:10
  Speaker 1: There a Natasha Files that number if you are keen
• 12:13
  Speaker 1: to call through eight nine four one one O four
• 12:15
  Speaker 1: nine