Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Katie Woolf spoke with caller Rachael about her concerning situation with the NT health system

Transcript

Katie Woolf spoke with caller Rachael about her concerning situation with the NT health system · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Good morning to you, Rachel.
• 0:02
  Speaker 2: Hi, are you very well?
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: Sorry, I'm a bit clumsy with the phone line sometimes, Rachel.
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: Now I understand, I understand you. You were actually the
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: person who messaged us about not being able to get
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: in at the moment for a biopsy. I was, Yes, Rachel,
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: just give us a little bit more detail about your
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: situation at the moment. So you're essentially waiting now to
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: see somebody about a breast slump.
• 0:27
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I am. I'm a bit shocked myself. Actually, I've
• 0:29
  Speaker 2: been a nurse in the territory for eleven years and
• 0:33
  Speaker 2: I don't work in our our health anymore, but I'm
• 0:36
  Speaker 2: a little bit shocked at the time frame that's allowed
• 0:39
  Speaker 2: for an urgent referral. So I have done, I'm doing
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: everything I possibly can. I've just recalled my doctor and
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: asked her to see me through privately. That's a complete
• 0:47
  Speaker 2: waste of time because I'll be waiting longer. So essentially,
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: the referral goes in, and I'm sure that they get
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: hundreds and hundreds of referrals per day, so someone actually
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: has to fight down referral first, and they've told me
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: it takes ten business day for that to actually happen,
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: and then a nurse needs to go and and treat them,
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: and then that needs to go to a doctor for
• 1:08
  Speaker 2: them to have a look at the refer and see
• 1:10
  Speaker 2: how urgent it is, and then that needs to go
• 1:12
  Speaker 2: to someone else to book me an appointments. Essentially, at
• 1:15
  Speaker 2: the moment, I've got a chicking time bomb in my
• 1:17
  Speaker 2: chest and I can't get anyone to look at it.
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: And I am giving a bit emotional because I do
• 1:22
  Speaker 2: have two small little children, and I'm very young, and
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: I just don't know what to do with myself.
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: Rachel, I feel quite emotional listening to you, to be honest,
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: because I think it's a really difficult situation that you're
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: in at the moment, and I you know, we're going
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: to make sure that we send your information to the Minister,
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: to her office, but also to the health Department. You know,
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: I understand that there's obviously processes that need to be followed,
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: but we've got to make sure that people like yourself
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: are actually able to get in and get this check
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: that is required so that then if you do need
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: any further treatment, you're able to actually have it really
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: bloody quickly.
• 2:06
  Speaker 2: But indeed, and if it wasn't so urgent. And you know,
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: I was recalled within two days of having my mammogram
• 2:12
  Speaker 2: and my ultrasound, and my doctor's like, you need to
• 2:14
  Speaker 2: get in immediately. I'm like, great, yep, no worries. Oh,
• 2:17
  Speaker 2: you know, I'll stop planning my funeral. You know, your
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: mind to start, that's right, you know. But now I've
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: got a whole month to sit on this and think
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: about it. I'm thinking, if it is looking that, then,
• 2:28
  Speaker 2: you know, a whole month is a long time, and
• 2:30
  Speaker 2: I just want to make sure that, you know, and
• 2:32
  Speaker 2: if it wasn't something so urgent, you know, there's markers
• 2:35
  Speaker 2: there that are saying that it's very suspicious. And I
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: am young, so yeah, it's very very worrying at the moment.
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: Yeah, And Rachel, I would feel exactly the same as
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: you do right now. And you know, I've got two
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: little kids as well, so I cannot imagine just how
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: distraught you are feeling and how worried. Like I said,
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: we're going to make sure that we get your information
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: across to the minister's office. We're going to try our
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: best in you know, with what the ever capacity we've
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: got to try and help you. I'm really sorry that
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: you're going through this. I find it heartbreaking, you know.
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: I've certainly had friends who've gone through breast cancer journeys
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: and it's really hard. And I hope that we're able
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: to at the very least help you in some way,
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: shape or form, to get in there to go and
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: get this thing checked so that whatever journey you're about
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: to embark on, let's hope that it's not one of treatment,
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: but whatever journey you're about to embark on, that you
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: know what you're dealing with, sooner rather than later.
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: I really appreciate it, Katie, I really do it. It's
• 3:41
  Speaker 2: not just me, it's other people in my situation as well,
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: that you know, as being in the healthcare system for
• 3:46
  Speaker 2: such a long time up here, it is quite a
• 3:48
  Speaker 2: shock to be on the receiving end and not being
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: a get in and see anyone at all.
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: You know what you are spot on, because since you
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: sent us that message earlier this morning, we've had a
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: lot of people actually get in contact with us. I've
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: got somebody else who'd message to say that that they've
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: got melanoma and that they've got well they have obviously
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: been treated for melanoma previously and they've now got further suspicious,
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: suspicious sites that need to be checked, and they've been
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: told seven weeks now to get their next appointment. You know,
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: you don't like you need to get in faster than that.
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: I would suspect you would think so.
• 4:28
  Speaker 2: And can you imagine sitting on that for seven weeks,
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: how you're supposed to function on a day to day
• 4:32
  Speaker 2: base with little children and trying to carry on life
• 4:34
  Speaker 2: as per normal. But it's unacceptable. And I listened before here.
• 4:39
  Speaker 2: I'm part of the Nursing Federation up here as well,
• 4:41
  Speaker 2: and what she was saying was spot on that the
• 4:43
  Speaker 2: thing is, no one really wants to talk about it
• 4:45
  Speaker 2: out loud, and you're saying they're explosive revelations. We've known
• 4:49
  Speaker 2: this in the health system for such a long time
• 4:51
  Speaker 2: because no one really wants to talk about it, and.
• 4:53
  Speaker 1: We've got to, hey, otherwise nothing's going to change then.
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: And you know, like we talk about surgeries obviously being
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: postponed and things like that, told that their non life threatening.
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: But do you know what, Rachel, I hadn't even thought
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: about a situation like the one that you're in right now,
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: and it's it needs to get sorted out.
• 5:10
  Speaker 2: Well, I'm a little bit concerned just getting an appointment,
• 5:13
  Speaker 2: let alone surgery, because I know that I'll need to
• 5:15
  Speaker 2: have surgery, But how am I supposed to have that
• 5:17
  Speaker 2: if I kind of get an appointment.
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: Yeah, oh, Rachel, we really appreciate it. Yeah, well mate,
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: we are thinking of you today. We're like I, you know,
• 5:26
  Speaker 1: I don't sending you all my positive vibes and love
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: and care at this point. I hope that you know
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: that you are able to see someone sooner rather than later.
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: Thank you so much for having a chat with us
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: and making us aware of this situation.
• 5:43
  Speaker 2: Thanks Annie, very kind, Thank you.
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: Thanks Rachel. We're going to take a very short break.
• 5:48
  Speaker 2: I tell you what that is.
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: Bloody hard, a really hard situation that Rachel's in there.
• 5:54
  Speaker 1: And like I said, we're hearing that from other people
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: as well this morning, and we're going to make sure
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: that we get that inform across to the department and
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: also to the Health Minister's office. We've got to try
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: our best to make sure that people are able to
• 6:07
  Speaker 1: be treated, Territorians are able to to go and uh
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: and have these you know, these appointments sooner rather than later,
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: so that you know that they're able to actually, if
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: they need treatment, able to get it as quickly as possible.