Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Katie spoke with Health Minister Natasha Fyles about nurses, and the home quarantine system

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Katie spoke with Health Minister Natasha Fyles about nurses, and the home quarantine system · 360 with Katie Woolf

0:00
Speaker 1: Joining us on the line right now as a health minister.
0:02
Speaker 1: Natasha Fhiles, good morning to you.
0:05
Speaker 2: Good morning Katie, good morning listener now Minister.
0:07
Speaker 1: First off, obviously that flight to London, the long awaited
0:10
Speaker 1: or the highly anticipated flight to London to the left
0:14
Speaker 1: last night.
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Speaker 3: How did it all go?
0:17
Speaker 2: Katie? It was really exciting and this began with those
0:19
Speaker 2: two repatriation flights eighteen months ago from China and Japan,
0:24
Speaker 2: and we've grown that into an opportunity where we now
0:26
Speaker 2: have direct flights from Darwin to London, so there'll be
0:29
Speaker 2: five flights a week, and we'll work closely with Quantests
0:33
Speaker 2: to make this a permanent fixture on the air travel
0:36
Speaker 2: routes into and from Darwin. We think it's a wonderful
0:38
Speaker 2: opportunity for tourism and locals in the territory.
0:42
Speaker 1: How committed are you to really trying to make sure
0:44
Speaker 1: that this does become a permanent fixture and there's even
0:47
Speaker 1: the possibility of expansion.
0:50
Speaker 2: So Katie, I think there was a lot of naysayers
0:52
Speaker 2: and a lot of doubts, and we've worked really closely
0:54
Speaker 2: with Quantas and we want them to see that Darwin
0:57
Speaker 2: the top end is the natural gateway to Australia, to
1:01
Speaker 2: Asia and beyond. So it was really exciting yesterday at
1:04
Speaker 2: the airport and Katie. There's been a lot of hard
1:06
Speaker 2: work by a lot of people, ant Health Police, those
1:09
Speaker 2: emergency operations as well as anti airports have gone above
1:14
Speaker 2: and beyond. So it's wonderful as a Minister for Tourism
1:17
Speaker 2: and Hospitality to be there. It was great to have
1:19
Speaker 2: Alan Joyce join us via video link. It was a
1:22
Speaker 2: really wonderful acknowledgment of that inaugural flight. But there's been
1:26
Speaker 2: a lot of hard work by a lot of people,
1:28
Speaker 2: so I would like to acknowledge that.
1:30
Speaker 1: Well, and we will catch up with nt Airport se
1:32
Speaker 1: in about twenty minutes time. Now we know that so
1:35
Speaker 1: much of the success, I guess you'd say, of these
1:39
Speaker 1: flights and the possibility for them to realistically be extended
1:42
Speaker 1: past April, is dependent on people being able to travel
1:45
Speaker 1: into the Northern Territory and out of and so much
1:48
Speaker 1: of that is indeed dependent on the home quarantining or
1:52
Speaker 1: the lack of quarantining, and also those vaccination rates. Can
1:56
Speaker 1: I ask, firstly, do we have a bit of an
1:58
Speaker 1: update when it comes to the latest numbers on the
2:01
Speaker 1: vaccine rollout.
2:04
Speaker 2: Yeah, Katie, Territories have done a great job. Almost three
2:07
Speaker 2: hundred and twenty thousand vaccines have been administered across the territory.
2:10
Speaker 2: Eighty eight percent of Territorians have had their first dose
2:13
Speaker 2: and seventy four percent are fully vaccinated. Still we estimate
2:16
Speaker 2: hopeful that we'll reach eighty percent second dose this month.
2:19
Speaker 2: We're also doing an incredible amount of work in our
2:21
Speaker 2: remote communities and there's been a lot of people, a
2:24
Speaker 2: lot of collaboration out there working with community and we've
2:27
Speaker 2: reached sixty six percent of Territorians having had their first
2:30
Speaker 2: dose and fifty three percent fully vaccinated in remote community.
2:34
Speaker 2: And everyone will keep those efforts up as we drive
2:36
Speaker 2: towards that you know, we need ninety five, We want
2:38
Speaker 2: one hundred percent. We want everyone to be protected.
2:41
Speaker 1: Now, I know that you announced earlier this week that
2:43
Speaker 1: the Northern Territories COVID nineteen Vaccination Surge workforce is going
2:47
Speaker 1: to have a bit of a boost over the next
2:49
Speaker 1: few weeks with fifty student nurses and midwives coming on board.
2:53
Speaker 1: So second and third year CDU student nurses and midwives
2:57
Speaker 1: have already started that work under the supervision of a
3:00
Speaker 1: registered nurse or midwife while participating in counseling, immunization, administration,
3:05
Speaker 1: all sorts of things. Where are these students or where
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Speaker 1: were these student nurses needed? Mostly is it up here
3:12
Speaker 1: in the top end or is it all around the community.
3:16
Speaker 2: So, Katie, we've been really focused on our health workforce.
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Speaker 2: They've been doing a wonderful job, and we have put
3:22
Speaker 2: online additional nurses. We've put online additional graduate nurses. And
3:27
Speaker 2: these are additional positions. These are students that are in
3:30
Speaker 2: their second and third year students and they will be
3:34
Speaker 2: coming online across the territory. Will they'll always have supervision,
3:38
Speaker 2: so they'll be fully supervised. But it's a great opportunity
3:42
Speaker 2: to provide additional support and give them good on the
3:44
Speaker 2: job training. The model has been successfully utilized in other
3:48
Speaker 2: jurisdictions and so we'll make sure that they have that
3:51
Speaker 2: full support. But this is a great addition to helping
3:53
Speaker 2: our frontline nurses.
3:54
Speaker 1: Doesn't mean that some of those fully qualified nurses are
3:57
Speaker 1: able to get back into the hospitals.
4:00
Speaker 2: It just gives us more resources in the system. So
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Speaker 2: the students have to undertake the National COVID nineteen vaccination
4:06
Speaker 2: training program. They have to take training from nt Health
4:09
Speaker 2: and they are second and third year students and so
4:12
Speaker 2: it does provide more resources and will of course be
4:15
Speaker 2: making sure that they're fully supported in the more difficult
4:18
Speaker 2: circumstances of vaccinating, will of course be using our experience teams,
4:22
Speaker 2: but this provides additional resources into our whole system.
4:26
Speaker 3: Okay, I've got a couple of listener questions.
4:28
Speaker 1: I've just got one here that says, Hi, Katie, can
4:30
Speaker 1: you please ask the Health Minister when temporary visa holders
4:33
Speaker 1: will be able to travel internationally place?
4:37
Speaker 2: Okati, I'm going to have to take that question unnoticed
4:39
Speaker 2: because that would be working with the Commonwealth government. But
4:41
Speaker 2: it was great to see Australian residents and Austraian citizens
4:46
Speaker 2: yesterday be able to travel more freely. I know that
4:48
Speaker 2: Commonwealth have made some changes to visa arrangements during COVID
4:52
Speaker 2: to make it easier for people. But happy to seek
4:55
Speaker 2: some advice and get that back to your listener.
4:57
Speaker 1: Another question from a listener. It says get Akt Derby
5:00
Speaker 1: from the do a question for the Health Minister.
5:02
Speaker 3: I live in Humpty Doo.
5:03
Speaker 1: I had my first job in Palmerston and second job
5:06
Speaker 1: in koler linga do I go into the Palmerston. Do
5:10
Speaker 1: I go into Palmerston or the cooler Linger vaccination statistics,
5:16
Speaker 1: You go into the.
5:16
Speaker 2: Darious vaccination statistics, Katie, because that's where your residential address is.
5:20
Speaker 2: So that's why it's important for people to make sure
5:24
Speaker 2: we get your home address and that goes into our
5:27
Speaker 2: Prima Care information system and also the strain iuminization register,
5:31
Speaker 2: so it'll be matched to where you where you live.
5:35
Speaker 2: So you could have received both doses in Dawen City,
5:37
Speaker 2: for example, if you work in town, you could have
5:40
Speaker 2: been traveling and needed to get a dose in our
5:42
Speaker 2: springs for example, but it goes back to your home address.
5:45
Speaker 1: Now we know that today actually marks one week exactly
5:48
Speaker 1: since the home quarantine trial kicked off. At the time,
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Speaker 1: we were told that one hundred people would take part
5:54
Speaker 1: in Darwin undertaking strict testing. Of course, other media outlets
5:58
Speaker 1: are reporting that the government has been refusing to say
6:02
Speaker 1: how many people are currently taking part in that trial.
6:05
Speaker 1: Are you able to clarify for us how many people
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Speaker 1: are doing that trial right now.
6:10
Speaker 2: Cy, I don't have the exact figures and those figures
6:12
Speaker 2: will fluctuate. I know people have been in Howard springs
6:15
Speaker 2: fell permitted to go into the home quarantine and they're
6:17
Speaker 2: finished and other people are joining the program. We estimate
6:20
Speaker 2: we need about one hundred people during the months in
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Speaker 2: Darwin and around thirty people in our springs to give
6:26
Speaker 2: us the information around this pilot and how it works
6:29
Speaker 2: and what lessons we will learn from it as we
6:31
Speaker 2: then go forward to roll out home quarantine for everyone
6:34
Speaker 2: vaccinated in those high vaccination areas from Lake November.
6:38
Speaker 3: Do you have an idea though of the numbers.
6:39
Speaker 1: I mean, you must know whether it's sort of you know,
6:41
Speaker 1: whether there's fifty odd or even though it fluctuates. You
6:44
Speaker 1: must have a fair idea if it's a good sample
6:46
Speaker 1: size or not.
6:48
Speaker 2: Katie, I don't have the exact figures, but we know
6:50
Speaker 2: we need to sample size of about one hundred during
6:52
Speaker 2: the month to give us accurate information. And we've certainly
6:54
Speaker 2: had people complete the program and more people will join.
6:58
Speaker 2: One of the lessons that we've already learned is making
7:00
Speaker 2: sure people have that negative test to enter the program.
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Speaker 2: So that's why it's really important that we've got this
7:05
Speaker 2: pilot so that we can learn these lessons with a
7:08
Speaker 2: smaller cohort before we allow anyone who's vaccinated and in
7:12
Speaker 2: a high vaccination area to participate.
7:14
Speaker 1: All right. The medical unions and also the territory opposition
7:17
Speaker 1: of raised concerns about the legitimacy of the trial, and
7:20
Speaker 1: both say they've not been told how many people have
7:23
Speaker 1: been involved in that trial. Bill Yan has said, we're
7:27
Speaker 1: trying to test our capability to home quarantine. But if
7:30
Speaker 1: we can't get the numbers, how's it going to government
7:32
Speaker 1: actually testing the trial? That's a comment from the shadow
7:36
Speaker 1: health minister. How are you testing the capability of the
7:39
Speaker 1: program if you don't know exactly how many people are
7:42
Speaker 1: doing the pilot?
7:44
Speaker 2: So, Katie, I've just outlined the figures to you. We
7:46
Speaker 2: expect over the months that will have one hundred of
7:48
Speaker 2: a doll on top end and around thirty in our springs,
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Speaker 2: and that will give us the information to see how
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Speaker 2: it's gone, what the issues are, and what works well,
7:57
Speaker 2: so that we can then roll it out for the
7:59
Speaker 2: whole community in HI vaccination areas, for vaccinated territory.
8:03
Speaker 1: All right, So it will only be one hundred over
8:05
Speaker 1: the whole course of the months.
8:08
Speaker 2: So Katie, obviously if more people are eligible and the
8:11
Speaker 2: system's working well and we've got the capability to take
8:13
Speaker 2: more people on, but we've identified that that's a simple
8:16
Speaker 2: size that will give us an indication of how it
8:19
Speaker 2: works and what challenges are thrown up by this pilot,
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Speaker 2: and as I just said, what works well, because we
8:25
Speaker 2: want to make sure when we roll it out more
8:27
Speaker 2: broadly that we've got our systems working well and we
8:30
Speaker 2: don't have inconvenience for people or potentially you know, having
8:35
Speaker 2: issues that might let the community safety be at risk.
8:38
Speaker 2: So this pilot program is really important.
8:40
Speaker 1: Do you have any idea how many tests have been conducted?
8:43
Speaker 1: Because we know that part of this pilot you'd said
8:46
Speaker 1: to us last week, a big well test is the
8:50
Speaker 1: actual testing regime and making sure that that is all
8:52
Speaker 1: going smoothly. Do you have any idea how many tests
8:55
Speaker 1: have been conducted and has that been a seamless process.
9:00
Speaker 2: You haven't got the latest testing numbers. Our laboratory certainly
9:03
Speaker 2: has the capacity, and as I raised with you, it's
9:05
Speaker 2: about keeping people in that home quarantine, but getting those
9:09
Speaker 2: regular test results. They need testing on day one, three, five, seven,
9:13
Speaker 2: then twelve and seventeen. So the most efficient way of
9:16
Speaker 2: getting those tests of the individuals and into the laboratory
9:20
Speaker 2: and those results back, So they're the systems we're working through.
9:24
Speaker 2: We certainly have that capacity in our laboratory. It's more
9:26
Speaker 2: around the organization with those tests that we're focused on.
9:30
Speaker 1: So, based on what you're saying in terms of the
9:33
Speaker 1: testing and also in terms of the numbers and the
9:35
Speaker 1: way in which this trial is working at the moment,
9:38
Speaker 1: do you feel confident that we are going to be
9:40
Speaker 1: at the point where there will be no need for
9:42
Speaker 1: home quarantine from January eighteen as flagged by the Chief Minister.
9:47
Speaker 2: So the Chief Ministers outlined our roadmap, and that is
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Speaker 2: the home quarantine for fourteen days and down to seven
9:52
Speaker 2: days and the testing regime. I'm confident with the high
9:55
Speaker 2: rates of vaccination we're seeing, and we've certainly got some
9:58
Speaker 2: work to do in some areas and with some cohorts
10:01
Speaker 2: of the population, but I'm confident with everything I'm seeing
10:04
Speaker 2: that we will have this steady health based advice roll
10:08
Speaker 2: out of home quarantine and then into a testing regime,
10:11
Speaker 2: so then we can see trouble redeemed more normally for territory.
10:14
Speaker 1: Now, I have got another message from a listener. They
10:16
Speaker 1: said that at the press conference. Obviously the Chief Minister
10:19
Speaker 1: Michael Gunner had said that's the Howard Springs quarantine. It
10:23
Speaker 1: will go to half price for fully vaccinated people.
10:27
Speaker 3: Is that the case? And when does that start?
10:31
Speaker 2: So, Katie, if home quarantine is not available for people
10:34
Speaker 2: that are fully vaccinated, they are able to stay at
10:36
Speaker 2: Howard Brings for a reduced fee. This is acknowledging that
10:39
Speaker 2: they're fully vaccinated. I'll have to check what date that starts, Katie.
10:42
Speaker 2: I would make the assumption that that would start from
10:44
Speaker 2: when home quarantining more broadly starts once the pilot finishes.
10:48
Speaker 2: But we'll get that advice back.
10:49
Speaker 1: Through to you, okay, Because I know with these guys,
10:52
Speaker 1: this listener, they had actually been identified as somebody who
10:55
Speaker 1: could take part in that home quarantining pilot, but because
10:58
Speaker 1: they've got a baby, they weren't in a situation then
11:00
Speaker 1: where they actually could because they need to still send
11:02
Speaker 1: their baby obviously to childcare. So there was some concerns
11:06
Speaker 1: around that space. So I think that there is definitely
11:09
Speaker 1: some people wondering what the situation is in terms of
11:12
Speaker 1: the payment out there at Howard Springs and how long
11:15
Speaker 1: it's going to continue for.
11:17
Speaker 2: We'll get some clarity through to UKad And that's why
11:20
Speaker 2: the pilot's really important because we do have children under
11:22
Speaker 2: eleven who aren't eligible to be vaccinated. Now, it does
11:26
Speaker 2: mean that the family can still do home quarantining, but
11:29
Speaker 2: they need to undertake the testing regime. I obviously don't
11:32
Speaker 2: know the details of that family and the fact they
11:34
Speaker 2: need to send the child out to childcare. We do
11:37
Speaker 2: need to make sure in this pilot stake that we
11:39
Speaker 2: reduce all risks to our community. But I'll get some
11:42
Speaker 2: clarity for you and send that through to your team
11:44
Speaker 2: just quickly.
11:45
Speaker 1: Is there any clarity on the you know, like there've
11:49
Speaker 1: been real worries from people when they're arriving obviously and
11:52
Speaker 1: then going into home quarantine if they didn't have a vehicle.
11:55
Speaker 1: Has there been any clarity on whether they're able to
11:58
Speaker 1: get an uber or a taxi or what the.
12:01
Speaker 2: My understanding is that they can get a quarantine taxi
12:05
Speaker 2: so to speak that have been identified and they've got
12:07
Speaker 2: additional hydiine practices, or they can have somebody pick them
12:11
Speaker 2: up that they are wearing a mask and sit in
12:13
Speaker 2: the backseat. But they're the types of issues. If fine
12:16
Speaker 2: Ware has just got a handful of people, but as
12:18
Speaker 2: we roll this out more broadly, we do need to
12:20
Speaker 2: iron that out, so we need to make sure the
12:22
Speaker 2: health principles are there. But at the same time, Katie,
12:24
Speaker 2: it's got to be practical and usable.
12:26
Speaker 3: Now, Minister, I'm very mindful of time.
12:28
Speaker 1: I know that you are about to board a flight
12:30
Speaker 1: to Alice Springs, as I understand, but I do want
12:32
Speaker 1: to ask you. We saw some pretty horrible scenes at
12:36
Speaker 1: the Greek church over the course of the weekend and
12:39
Speaker 1: I wondered were you at that service, Katie.
12:43
Speaker 2: I wasn't at that service, but it was really disappointing
12:45
Speaker 2: to see the mayor and the leader of the opposition
12:48
Speaker 2: face that. Everyone is entitled to their view, but not
12:51
Speaker 2: in that forum and not in that way. We do
12:55
Speaker 2: need to be respectful in this debate. I know emotions
12:57
Speaker 2: are running high, but we do need to respect that's
13:00
Speaker 2: important day on the Greek cultural calendar and it wasn't
13:03
Speaker 2: appropriate for the Lord Mayor or the leader of the
13:05
Speaker 2: opposition to cop that well.
13:07
Speaker 1: Health Minister Natasha files just very quickly before I let
13:10
Speaker 1: you go, I do want to ask we know that
13:12
Speaker 1: the government have announced that the Allen Walker Cancer Center
13:16
Speaker 1: has been well a boosted capacity for more cancer patient
13:19
Speaker 1: treatment services, so essentially five million dollars. It was a
13:23
Speaker 1: five million dollar project. Has increased the number of chemotherapy
13:27
Speaker 1: cheirs by sixty six.
13:28
Speaker 3: Percent from twelve to twenty.
13:30
Speaker 1: And I think that anybody who has either gone through
13:33
Speaker 1: that center themselves or had a family member go through
13:36
Speaker 1: that center themselves, knows that the Allen Walker Cancer Center
13:40
Speaker 1: is an unbelievably wonderful center. They do a tremendous job
13:44
Speaker 1: and the bolstering of those numbers is certainly a good thing, oh, Katie.
13:50
Speaker 2: The Allen Walker Cancer Care Center provides dedicated cancer care
13:53
Speaker 2: for territories. They can access a range of services there.
13:56
Speaker 2: It means they can get world class care, they can
13:59
Speaker 2: participate in clinical trial, and they can stay in their
14:02
Speaker 2: community when they're facing a particularly difficult time. And I'm
14:05
Speaker 2: really proud. This was an election commitment. It was twenty
14:07
Speaker 2: three million dollars total, with the Commonwealth and the Northern
14:10
Speaker 2: Churchy government both supporting it. And we've not only expanded
14:13
Speaker 2: the chair capacity, Katie, but they're now in sort of
14:16
Speaker 2: individualized spaces where they can have some privacy but receive
14:20
Speaker 2: that world class care. So it was great to be
14:22
Speaker 2: out to speak yesterday with some of the nurses and
14:24
Speaker 2: doctors and a former patient who had nothing but high
14:28
Speaker 2: praise for the team out there.
14:29
Speaker 3: Yeah, they do a tremendous job.
14:30
Speaker 1: Before I let you go, Minister, any tips for the
14:32
Speaker 1: Melbourne Cup, Oh.
14:35
Speaker 2: Katie, as a Minister for racing, I probably should have one,
14:38
Speaker 2: but you've caught me off guard. I apologize. Maybe your
14:41
Speaker 2: listeners can text it into you on your life.
14:43
Speaker 1: I reckon they're going to have to because I'm not
14:44
Speaker 1: sure who I'm placing a bit on today either. Always responsibly,
14:48
Speaker 1: of course. Health Minister Natasha Files, thank you for your
14:50
Speaker 1: time today.
14:52
Speaker 2: Take care,