Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / The AMA's Dr. Robert Parker on the dire hospital crisis and why a "code brown" needs to be called

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The AMA's Dr. Robert Parker on the dire hospital crisis and why a "code brown" needs to be called · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: And we know that the numbers when it comes to
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: COVID are continuing to grow across the Northern Territory and
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: the stress on our hospital system has prompted the head
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: of the Australian Medical Association here in the Northern Territory,
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: as well as the Northern Territory's Nurses Federation, to call
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: for a Code BROWN to be declared here.
• 0:19
  Speaker 2: In the Northern Territory.
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: Now joining me on the line is doctor Robert Parker,
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: the President of the AMA here in the Northern Territory.
• 0:27
  Speaker 2: Good morning to you, doctor Parker, Morning Katie, doctor Parker.
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: Why do we need to call for a Code bround
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: to be implemented.
• 0:36
  Speaker 3: Well, basically, we're dealing with a bunch of health heroes
• 0:38
  Speaker 3: are exhausted. I mean, we're actually I was actually we
• 0:41
  Speaker 3: were talking about this issue at AMA Council last night.
• 0:44
  Speaker 3: One of my colleagues was saying that basically he's trying
• 0:47
  Speaker 3: to operate a department with half his consultants away on
• 0:50
  Speaker 3: COVID furlough and they're having to adjust rosters and fill
• 0:53
  Speaker 3: those rosters so that people are away with they still
• 0:55
  Speaker 3: got to do the work. And he was saying every
• 0:58
  Speaker 3: day he looks at these rats is hope it's a
• 1:00
  Speaker 3: positive so we can actually get a ten day break.
• 1:03
  Speaker 3: And it's really sad with someone actually hoping to catch
• 1:06
  Speaker 3: COVID to actually give themselves a break from the current
• 1:11
  Speaker 3: stress that they're.
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: Under well, And it really just demonstrates to you what
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: a difficult situation our nurses, doctors, cleaners, absolutely everyone within
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: our health system are under at this point, doctor Parker.
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: I mean obviously our staff not only being stressed but
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: also suffering from COVID is having an impact as well well.
• 1:33
  Speaker 3: Again it's affecting the workforce, so people are having to
• 1:36
  Speaker 3: be fur laid off because they've caught COVID and other
• 1:39
  Speaker 3: stuff are having to fill the gap, you know, so
• 1:41
  Speaker 3: the health system has to continue to operate. And I
• 1:44
  Speaker 3: mean one of the reasons, as we put in the
• 1:46
  Speaker 3: press release, that we've decided to call to ask for
• 1:48
  Speaker 3: the cod brown is because again things bubble up, you know,
• 1:51
  Speaker 3: and we think that the nurses strike yesterday in New
• 1:53
  Speaker 3: South Wales was an aspect of that significant frustration as
• 1:59
  Speaker 3: much as an industrial issue. So we're hoping to avoid
• 2:02
  Speaker 3: you know, the A m A and the a n
• 2:03
  Speaker 3: T and the nursing Wiffing Federation. I hope to avoid
• 2:07
  Speaker 3: a similar situation in the territory where people where health
• 2:09
  Speaker 3: workers say to the streets out of frustration against the
• 2:13
  Speaker 3: current COVID difidemic.
• 2:14
  Speaker 2: Doctor Parker, What exactly would a Code Brown mean?
• 2:18
  Speaker 3: Well, it just it allows the department to say we've
• 2:20
  Speaker 3: got a formal major problem here and to reallocate resources
• 2:24
  Speaker 3: to come. I mean the department's doing that anyway through
• 2:30
  Speaker 3: just day to day adjustment to things. And but you know,
• 2:33
  Speaker 3: and in Victoria was a much more complex situation with
• 2:35
  Speaker 3: a lot more hospitals, so you've got to you've got
• 2:37
  Speaker 3: a lot more resources to adjust. But I suppose it
• 2:40
  Speaker 3: just gives the work is in the system the support
• 2:45
  Speaker 3: that they you know that the government and the Health
• 2:47
  Speaker 3: department support. They're under very difficult situations at the moment,
• 2:50
  Speaker 3: and I mean them has acted on this because a
• 2:52
  Speaker 3: number of you know, very senior medical positions have you know,
• 2:55
  Speaker 3: given the indications they would like a code ground called
• 2:57
  Speaker 3: because of the stress they're under. And obviously the AMWF
• 3:01
  Speaker 3: has also been away from their members about that significant
• 3:05
  Speaker 3: stress as well, which is why they've joined us in
• 3:06
  Speaker 3: the Code Brown.
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: Yeah, well we are going to catch up with Cath
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: Hatcher after ten o'clock this morning and find out more
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: about it from the nurse's perspective as well, Doctor Parker,
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: is there a situation here where there just isn't enough staff?
• 3:21
  Speaker 3: Well, that's right. I mean we've only got you've only
• 3:23
  Speaker 3: got a certain number of staff are employed, and again
• 3:26
  Speaker 3: a lot of those stuff are going off sick with
• 3:27
  Speaker 3: COVID and other people have just got to fill the gaps.
• 3:30
  Speaker 3: We know we're not. We haven't got to suppose the
• 3:33
  Speaker 3: reserve that some other states in homage retired staff, you know,
• 3:36
  Speaker 3: the older population potentially can be called back in to assist.
• 3:40
  Speaker 3: So the territory has always had that issue with a
• 3:42
  Speaker 3: much younger transient starting reserve, which makes it more difficult
• 3:45
  Speaker 3: I suppose to try and fill the gaps when you've
• 3:48
  Speaker 3: got situations like this.
• 3:49
  Speaker 2: In other states.
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: My understanding is that that in some cases the ADF
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: has been called in to assist.
• 3:57
  Speaker 2: Is that something we need to look at here.
• 4:00
  Speaker 3: Again, I suppose we've always got Professor to Taris's Trauma
• 4:02
  Speaker 3: Center potentially as a reserve rather than the eighty F.
• 4:06
  Speaker 3: And I'm not sure if they called him made to
• 4:07
  Speaker 3: lend yet but potentially that that systems could be requested it.
• 4:11
  Speaker 3: You know, they were the ones initially running the Center
• 4:14
  Speaker 3: for National Resilience and the potentially the Department could again
• 4:20
  Speaker 3: work with the National Trauma Center to look at ways
• 4:22
  Speaker 3: they can assist the health system.
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: So as far as you know, at the moment, though
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: they've not called lennataris in the National Critical Care and
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: Trauma Response Center for assistants not.
• 4:31
  Speaker 3: Been aware of that note, should they? I think it's
• 4:35
  Speaker 3: up to the government. I mean, they've decided not to
• 4:37
  Speaker 3: call the code brown and so they've you know, despite
• 4:41
  Speaker 3: the request, and I suppose they've got to wear the
• 4:43
  Speaker 3: consequences if they don't. You know, things don't improve, So
• 4:46
  Speaker 3: you know, they're it's you know, they've got every right
• 4:49
  Speaker 3: not to call the code brown, but the things don't
• 4:51
  Speaker 3: pick up. We could have a situation like we had
• 4:53
  Speaker 3: news of Wales, when people just take to the streets
• 4:56
  Speaker 3: out of frustration.
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: Is it a bit of a kick in the guts,
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: you know, when you've got the AMA and you've got
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: the Nurses Federation really saying please listen to us, We're
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: under a lot of stress.
• 5:07
  Speaker 2: We need this code brown, and then they say no.
• 5:11
  Speaker 3: Again. That's they're right. You know, it is a kick
• 5:13
  Speaker 3: in the guts. You know, we've got it. We've got
• 5:14
  Speaker 3: a right to represent our members and represent that the
• 5:17
  Speaker 3: stress of the government. The government's got a right to
• 5:20
  Speaker 3: say no, that's there, that's their right. You know, all
• 5:22
  Speaker 3: we're doing is putting in a position.
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: Rob. Are you worried that staff are going to end
• 5:26
  Speaker 1: up striking in the territory.
• 5:28
  Speaker 3: I'm not sure about striking again. You know, people are
• 5:31
  Speaker 3: possibly even too exhausted to strike at the moment. Takes
• 5:33
  Speaker 3: some energy, but you know that's always a potential issue
• 5:37
  Speaker 3: that could occur just out of frustration.
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: I know some people listen.
• 5:40
  Speaker 3: I'm not saying that is I'm not aware of any
• 5:42
  Speaker 3: strike action or anythink I want to reassure the public
• 5:45
  Speaker 3: that they do turn up at the hospital and they
• 5:46
  Speaker 3: need hospital care, they will be well caredful, and I'm
• 5:49
  Speaker 3: not aware of any industrial action happening.
• 5:51
  Speaker 1: And honestly, I reckon absolutely everybody listening this morning will
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: have so much you know, they have so much support
• 5:58
  Speaker 1: and care for our doctors, nurses, our allied health staff,
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: those working in indigenous health, absolutely everybody in the health sector.
• 6:05
  Speaker 1: Because I know it's tough going at the moment. Dr
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: Parker obviously have said that, you know, you're not aware
• 6:12
  Speaker 1: of any striking or anything at the moment, but just
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: how big an impact is this having for some of
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: the staff in the hospital right now who have realistically
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: had quite a long period of time of being under stressed.
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: You know, you and I spoke towards the end of
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: last year about there not being enough staff in the hospitals.
• 6:30
  Speaker 1: We spoke to the Nurses Federation about that as well.
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: And now now that we've got these very real cases
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: of COVID in the hospital and also got staff who
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: have been taken out as a result of COVID, you
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: know just how big a stress and impact is this
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: having on those staff members right now?
• 6:50
  Speaker 3: Well, okay, I think that example I talked to you
• 6:52
  Speaker 3: about about the staff member actually would like to catch
• 6:55
  Speaker 3: COVID as a way of giving himself a break from
• 6:57
  Speaker 3: the col phrase is as an example all of the
• 7:00
  Speaker 3: stress people on the fact you actually want to catch
• 7:02
  Speaker 3: COVID to give yourself a ten day break, I think
• 7:04
  Speaker 3: is a very sad example of the pressure people are under.
• 7:07
  Speaker 3: Yeah's one example, you know, and I think you know
• 7:10
  Speaker 3: the AWF their members are just equally frustrated and probably
• 7:14
  Speaker 3: can give you a number of other examples of it's
• 7:17
  Speaker 3: how tired and exhausted their members are, which is why
• 7:20
  Speaker 3: they're calling for the Code bround as well well.
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: Doctor Robert Parker, I appreciate your time this morning, Katie.
• 7:26
  Speaker 3: Can I just suggest one other thing to you? I
• 7:28
  Speaker 3: think with the election coming up, I think it would
• 7:30
  Speaker 3: be really useful to talk to all of them that
• 7:33
  Speaker 3: we've got four local members who are going to decide
• 7:36
  Speaker 3: potentially the fate of Australia the two lineball seats, and
• 7:39
  Speaker 3: I think it'd be really useful to find out their
• 7:42
  Speaker 3: views on health as well as other matters. Absolutely, someone
• 7:46
  Speaker 3: like yourself might be able to host a forum or
• 7:49
  Speaker 3: we can get them all in the room and ask them.
• 7:52
  Speaker 3: May have suggested that to various meter outlets, yes, but
• 7:54
  Speaker 3: it might be worth developing because it'll be really interesting
• 7:56
  Speaker 3: use of the time when potentially we can get some
• 7:59
  Speaker 3: extra resources to the territory, not just for health but
• 8:02
  Speaker 3: for the things. So as a thought, just to stop
• 8:05
  Speaker 3: the ball rolling, and it'll have to be early in
• 8:07
  Speaker 3: the campaign, but yeah, just just to be interesting to
• 8:10
  Speaker 3: see what your listeners thought about. Yeah, having some sort
• 8:13
  Speaker 3: of like Q and a debate with the four House
• 8:17
  Speaker 3: of Reds candidates about what they can do for the territory.
• 8:22
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and particularly, you know, particularly with our health system
• 8:25
  Speaker 1: at the moment, and particularly when you talk about the
• 8:27
  Speaker 1: situation you know that we're in. I know, it's something
• 8:30
  Speaker 1: that you have really been advocating for for years in
• 8:33
  Speaker 1: terms of that health funding.
• 8:35
  Speaker 2: So yeah, I think it's a good idea. Dr Parker.
• 8:38
  Speaker 3: Well, I might let you see what you can develop.
• 8:40
  Speaker 2: All right, Okay, sounds good. Thank you, thanks for your time.
• 8:42
  Speaker 2: As always,