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

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

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Three sixty with Katie Wolf on Mix one oh four
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  Speaker 1: point nine thanks to Joyce Main Darwin. Well, as we know,
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  Speaker 1: the vaccine rollout for everyone has begun today and the
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  Speaker 1: Minister for Health Natasha Files joins me on the line
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  Speaker 1: right now.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning to your minister.
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  Speaker 3: Good morning Katie, Good morning listeners.
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  Speaker 2: Minister.
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  Speaker 1: Did the Federal government take much convincing to make this
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  Speaker 1: role out open to everyone over the age of sixteen?
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  Speaker 3: So this is a good sensible outcome for the Northern Territory, Katie,
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  Speaker 3: based on a number of factors, the fact we have
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  Speaker 3: a high indigenous population, a very mobile population and a
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  Speaker 3: particularly vulnerable population. And we certainly thank the Australian Government,
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  Speaker 3: particularly the Prime Minister and the Federal Minister for Health
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  Speaker 3: or allowing the Northern Territory to collapse the phases and
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  Speaker 3: make anyone from today eligible for the coronavirus vaccine if
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  Speaker 3: the age sixteen in above.
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  Speaker 2: Now are we.
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  Speaker 1: Going to see a new vaccine hubs set up or
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  Speaker 1: what's the situation in terms of the roll out?
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  Speaker 3: So we do ask Katie your listeners and we'd be
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  Speaker 3: really pleased if they're excited by this announcement. They want
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  Speaker 3: to get vaccinated to be patient with us. We have
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  Speaker 3: changed the online booking system so from today they can
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  Speaker 3: go on there and make that booking and they might
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  Speaker 3: not get a booking for you a couple of weeks,
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  Speaker 3: but they will get a booking and they know they've
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  Speaker 3: got that locked in. In terms of the locations to
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  Speaker 3: get the vaccine, there's a number of locations across the
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  Speaker 3: territory presently, but yes, we will be standing up a
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  Speaker 3: mass vaccination hub in Darwin in the Darwin urban area
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  Speaker 3: so that we can help get these numbers through of
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  Speaker 3: the vaccine, particularly as we see the supply increase. The
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  Speaker 3: Commonwealth Government has identified over the next few months they'll
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  Speaker 3: see an increase in some supplies and we'll be able
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  Speaker 3: to utilize that.
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  Speaker 1: Where exactly do you think this Max's Vaccination Hub will
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  Speaker 1: be so, Katie.
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  Speaker 3: I, I'm not able to talk about locations. Department of
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  Speaker 3: Health are looking forward right now to where would be
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  Speaker 3: the best location that people can easily access and that
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  Speaker 3: also meets the requirements for delivering vaccine. So clearly we
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  Speaker 3: need to have areas where people can wait, we need
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  Speaker 3: to have privacy, we need to have the fridges. But
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  Speaker 3: they're working through that and we'll certainly communicate that. But
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  Speaker 3: presently there's forty two GP clinics. There's also the ant
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  Speaker 3: health clinics and also our original health clinics, so there's
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  Speaker 3: locations throughout the territory where people can get vaccinated.
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  Speaker 1: How soon do you anticipate that this max Vaccination Hub
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  Speaker 1: would be going though, would be operating.
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  Speaker 3: So we're looking at that through July, Katie, and it
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  Speaker 3: can clearly update the community as we get more information.
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  Speaker 3: But the collapsing of the phases provides an opportunity for
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  Speaker 3: the Northern Territory for territorians to get out there and
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  Speaker 3: get vaccinated and continue to lead through this pandemic.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, I think most people are pretty pleased with yesterday's announcement. Unfortunately, though,
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  Speaker 1: there still seems to be a lot of concern about
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  Speaker 1: the changes which are being implemented out at Howard Springs. Now,
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  Speaker 1: yesterday we heard from Cath Hatcher, the Branch Secretary of
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  Speaker 1: the Australian Nursing and Midway Free Federation. She is calling
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  Speaker 1: for the use of the PCR saliva tests happening daily
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  Speaker 1: to be halted and the recommencement of the rapid antigen
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  Speaker 1: test that nasal swab Howard Springs.
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  Speaker 2: Now, Minister, is this a done deal.
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  Speaker 1: Or will you be listening to the concerns of nurses
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  Speaker 1: and the staff at Howard Springs and looking to change back.
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  Speaker 3: So, Katie, we always listen to the kingdoms, particularly those
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  Speaker 3: on the front lane. They certainly each and every day
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  Speaker 3: they're going out there putting themselves at risk to care
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  Speaker 3: for people. So I look forward to meeting with cass
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  Speaker 3: later today around her concerns that there has been correspondence
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  Speaker 3: between my office and the Nurs's Federation to date, but
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  Speaker 3: we certainly acknowledge the amazing job particularly those nurses and
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  Speaker 3: clinical staff are doing. This decision was based from the
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  Speaker 3: Chief Health Officer based on clinical evidence, but as I said,
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  Speaker 3: we're continually reviewing these things and I look forward to
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  Speaker 3: meeting with the federation.
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  Speaker 2: Was this a financial decision.
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  Speaker 3: Absolutely not, Katie. I think that's really important for your listeners.
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  Speaker 3: As I've said before, the facility at Howard Springs is
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  Speaker 3: being paid for by the Commonwealth Government. Now it is
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  Speaker 3: a pay on invoice, so it's not like if we
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  Speaker 3: save on the delivery of services, we can save that money,
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  Speaker 3: but the Commonwealth Government cover all cost out there. So
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  Speaker 3: This was a clinical decision from the Acting Chief Health
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  Speaker 3: Officer based on evidence. But we have been there has
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  Speaker 3: been commentary in the media, and we've heard the concerns
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  Speaker 3: from the Nurse Confederation and we look forward to meeting them.
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  Speaker 1: Well, yeah, Katatcher said yesterday that the nursing staff will
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  Speaker 1: not be living on Howard Springs anymore, and these high
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  Speaker 1: risk staff could be leaving the facility and go into
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  Speaker 1: the community as COVID positive and wouldn't possibly know until
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  Speaker 1: the next day when they get their PCR saliva test results.
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  Speaker 1: I mean, is this a warry? Is this a worry
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  Speaker 1: for the larger community?
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  Speaker 3: So, Katie, the testing regime that's in place of Howard
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  Speaker 3: Springs is it the direction of the Acting Chief Health Officer.
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  Speaker 3: It is an improved system and it's the best available system,
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  Speaker 3: we believe. So we'll work through the concerns that they
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  Speaker 3: are going to raise with us. We've certainly heard those,
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  Speaker 3: But it is important for your listeners to understand that
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  Speaker 3: there is a strong testing regime in place right now.
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  Speaker 3: There has been a change, and that's because as we
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  Speaker 3: learned more about the virus, we've been able to accommodate that.
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  Speaker 3: But we certainly will hear their concerns and they'll be
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  Speaker 3: addressed from a clinical base.
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  Speaker 1: Minister, did you support the decision to scrape the rapid
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  Speaker 1: antigen testing?
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  Speaker 3: So, Katie, I support our chief Health officer and the
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  Speaker 3: decisions that they make. I think it is also important
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  Speaker 3: to balance that though, with the voices of not only
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  Speaker 3: those clinical stuff but the community. But to reassure the
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  Speaker 3: community right now that there is a testing process in place.
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  Speaker 3: It is a strong, rigorous testing process. We've learned more
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  Speaker 3: about the virus and we've made changes to those regimes,
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  Speaker 3: and when changes happen, people sometimes don't fully understand that.
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  Speaker 3: So we'll make sure that the federation and the nurses
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  Speaker 3: and the community understand the decisions that have been made,
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  Speaker 3: and if we need to make further changes, we won't
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  Speaker 3: hesitate to do so.
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  Speaker 2: So you're not ruling out a change here.
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  Speaker 3: I'm not going to rule out a change, Katie, into
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  Speaker 3: the future, because we don't know what we'll learn about
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  Speaker 3: the virus. We don't know around the testing regimes what
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  Speaker 3: may come up. So we've seen right the way through,
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  Speaker 3: we've been responsive and we've been agile. The way we
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  Speaker 3: deal with this virus now is very different to the
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  Speaker 3: way we were dealing with it twelve months ago. I
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  Speaker 3: guess will continue to look at the evidence and make decisions.
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  Speaker 1: I mean, the concern here is that yesterday Cath Hatcher
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  Speaker 1: didn't rule out the possible industrial action. If this decision
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  Speaker 1: isn't reversed, how I mean, how are you going to
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  Speaker 1: deal with that? If we wind up in a situation
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  Speaker 1: where our health staff out there at Howard Springs refused
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  Speaker 1: to do or refuse to go out there because of
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  Speaker 1: this testing.
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  Speaker 3: So, Katie, as we've learned more about COVID nineteen, our
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  Speaker 3: technology and processes and testing have changed, and they will
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  Speaker 3: continue to change. We've got extensive capacity for PCR testing
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  Speaker 3: and the territory we can turn those tests around. But
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  Speaker 3: I am not discounting the views of those frontline staff
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  Speaker 3: who are represented by the federation, And as I said,
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  Speaker 3: I'll be meeting them later today to hear directly from them,
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  Speaker 3: and I will then seek the advice of our acting
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  Speaker 3: Chief Health Officer and will continue to work through these
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  Speaker 3: issues as they are.
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  Speaker 1: So it does sound to me like you're actually open
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  Speaker 1: to some movement. I mean, what you've just said, then
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  Speaker 1: you're going to meet with the nurses Union, hear their concerns.
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  Speaker 1: If you actually agree with their concerns, then you're going
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  Speaker 1: to have a conversation with the Acting Chief Health Officer.
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  Speaker 3: Of course, I'll give their concerns due process. I think
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  Speaker 3: the original use of antigen testing at Howard Springs was
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  Speaker 3: introduced at a time when we didn't have the ability
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  Speaker 3: to use that rapid PCR testing. We now have that
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  Speaker 3: capacity and as I just said, we can test extensively
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  Speaker 3: with the PCR. So we will listen to their concerns,
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  Speaker 3: seek the advice of the Chief Health Officer, and will
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  Speaker 3: continue to make decisions that protect territory in and you
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  Speaker 3: can absolutely be sure, minister.
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  Speaker 1: Can I ask how is all this additional testing? Obviously
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  Speaker 1: you know these test changes out at Howard Springs, but
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  Speaker 1: also when we talk about all the COVID testing that's
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  Speaker 1: having to get underway with those repatriated Australians and also
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  Speaker 1: with Aussies that have been in self quarantine, what kind
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  Speaker 1: of demand is this placing on pathology?
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  Speaker 3: So pathology and I would like to knowledge pathology, Katie
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  Speaker 3: Off when we talk about the nurses and doctors, and
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  Speaker 3: we've got wonderful teams behind that support and they have
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  Speaker 3: done an amazing job. We saw just it ten days
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  Speaker 3: or so ago when we needed huge numbers from Victoria
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  Speaker 3: tests and they stepped up and tested you know, did
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  Speaker 3: those laboratory work around the clock. But we do certainly
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  Speaker 3: have capacity there, Katie. We can run through about two
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  Speaker 3: thousand tests a day and that can be increased again
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  Speaker 3: from there. So in terms of the laboratories and the testing,
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  Speaker 3: I've acknowledged the staff and we certainly had strong capacity there.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, because we had had some people get in contact
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  Speaker 1: with us talking about delays being experienced by people who've
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  Speaker 1: been for those COVID tests i e. Those that have
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  Speaker 1: been in self isolation following on from that Victorian hotspot declaration.
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  Speaker 1: But my understanding is that some of them had been
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  Speaker 1: told that there was a delay because the testing of
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  Speaker 1: repatriated Australia instead of staying out at Howard Springs is
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  Speaker 1: being given priority.
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  Speaker 2: Is that the case, Katie.
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  Speaker 3: I'm not aware of that operational detail. I'm happy to
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  Speaker 3: go away and ask the question what I can days.
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  Speaker 3: We can cater for thousands of tests per day if
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  Speaker 3: people have waited a reasonable amount of time post their
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  Speaker 3: tests seventy two hours or so, and they still haven't heard.
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  Speaker 3: They should reach out because we do have an admin
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  Speaker 3: team that are putting those results in the text messages
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  Speaker 3: to individuals that have been tested. I've had tests and
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  Speaker 3: I've received those text messages, but you know, things do
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  Speaker 3: go astray, and so I have had raised with me directly,
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  Speaker 3: someone that you know, five days later hasn't heard. So
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  Speaker 3: you know, if it's been a reasonable amount of time,
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  Speaker 3: you can reach out to check something hasn't gone astray.
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  Speaker 3: But what you've raised there around the fact that we've
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  Speaker 3: delayed local testing for those internationals. You need to remember
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  Speaker 3: that we're talking less than two hundred people arriving on
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  Speaker 3: each international flight, and we've got the capacity of doing
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  Speaker 3: around two thousand tests a day. So I'll seek some
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  Speaker 3: further retires. Yeah, that doesn't seem reasonable.
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  Speaker 1: Well, yeah, because I was going to say, I mean,
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  Speaker 1: at the end of the day, I think if they're
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  Speaker 1: in Howard Springs and they're in quarantine, nobody's disputing that
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  Speaker 1: they should definitely be getting tested.
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  Speaker 2: There's no doubt about that.
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  Speaker 1: But then if there's locals that are delayed being able
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  Speaker 1: to get back to work because they're not able to
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  Speaker 1: get their test results back, it just sort of seems
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  Speaker 1: to me like the priority should be those locals being
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  Speaker 1: able to get back into the community and keep the
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  Speaker 1: economy ticking over.
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  Speaker 3: And the byce I've got is that we've got the
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  Speaker 3: capacity for both. So I'll take that away and ask
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  Speaker 3: them questions for the Department Health.
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  Speaker 1: Now, Minister, one of the other things that I did
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  Speaker 1: want to speak to you about this morning is the
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  Speaker 1: claims that there is a shortage of beds when it
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  Speaker 1: comes to mental health patients at Royal Dahin Hospital. I
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  Speaker 1: know that this is not a new issue in the
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  Speaker 1: sense that we have had had concerns in this space
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  Speaker 1: for quite some time and there is work underway, but
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  Speaker 1: there had been claims. Sources have told us here at
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  Speaker 1: Mixwanow four point nine that there was seventeen beds last
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  Speaker 1: week that were taken by mental health patients who couldn't
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  Speaker 1: be placed into the mental health ward. There was also
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  Speaker 1: mental health patients kept in emergency for up to three days.
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  Speaker 1: Have you been advised of a shortage when it comes
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  Speaker 1: to mental health at the hospital at the moment?
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  Speaker 3: So caading mental health has been and the availability of
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  Speaker 3: services has been a strong focus for me as a
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  Speaker 3: minister and we've seen in investments from the Commonwealth Government.
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  Speaker 3: We've also launched initiatives such as the Corresponder Model. But yes,
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  Speaker 3: I do acknowledge that mental health patients have caused a
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  Speaker 3: burden on Rosaland Hospital, and I'm working with RDIH and
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  Speaker 3: the Department of Health around how we can alleviate those pressures.
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  Speaker 3: I don't have specific bed numbers. RDIH has been incredibly busy.
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  Speaker 3: We haven't had a Code yellow in recent weeks, but
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  Speaker 3: it is an incredibly busy hospital and I'd like to
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  Speaker 3: acknowledge all of those staff, whether they're doctors, mersers, but
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  Speaker 3: those people that support them, such as the PCAs and
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  Speaker 3: the cleaners and the catering stuff. We have had an
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  Speaker 3: incredibly busy time. There's not one factor. Certainly mental health
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  Speaker 3: could be pointed to, but there's been other factors and
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  Speaker 3: reasons why that this is an issue where we're working
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  Speaker 3: through with investment in more beds at Rozaland Hospital, in
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  Speaker 3: patient beds, but also trying to have services that alleviate
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  Speaker 3: that need for a mental health patient to come into
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  Speaker 3: an acuit, so think such as the Corresponder model.
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  Speaker 1: Now, we had also been told that there was a
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  Speaker 1: stabbing a security guard was stabbed at Royal dah And
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  Speaker 1: Hospital last month. In May, the Northern Territory Health Department
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  Speaker 1: have confirmed that an incident in Royal dah And Hospital
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  Speaker 1: Emergency department in early May where a staff member received
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  Speaker 1: injuries from a patient assault. Why was that incident not
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  Speaker 1: made public?
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  Speaker 3: So that incident is unacceptable. Any incident against our frontline
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  Speaker 3: health staff is unacceptable. You know, aggression and violence is
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  Speaker 3: not tolerated, and Tody, we do see from time to
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  Speaker 3: time patients and their families. I'm fairly taking out, you know,
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  Speaker 3: on our staff and so it's not acceptable, Katie. In
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  Speaker 3: terms of the incident and why it wasn't reported, I
• 12:47
  Speaker 3: was made aware of an operational incident. We you know,
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  Speaker 3: don't you know, put everything out into the media. These
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  Speaker 3: incidents sadly do take place, and that staff member, the
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  Speaker 3: situation was de escalated, was treated and transferred into an
• 13:02
  Speaker 3: appropriate unit. That staff members being supported. But we do
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  Speaker 3: not tolerate the aggression in violence. Our health workers are
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  Speaker 3: doing a tough job in trying circumstances and people need
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  Speaker 3: to respect that if they're accessing medical services.
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  Speaker 1: Minister, if we have got a situation where we've got
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  Speaker 1: some high need mental health patients who are having to
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  Speaker 1: be accommodated in other parts of the hospital and not
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  Speaker 1: specifically in the mental health area. Does it put themselves
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  Speaker 1: and the wider community at a risk.
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  Speaker 3: So, Katie, we've identified the need for more mental health
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  Speaker 3: in patient beds and that's why we're building a facility
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  Speaker 3: with eighteen more beds. Obviously, we can't just simply do
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  Speaker 3: that overnight, so we've put in place other programs to
• 13:44
  Speaker 3: try and alleviate those acute pressures. But we certainly identify
• 13:48
  Speaker 3: mental health as a need in the Northern Territory health
• 13:51
  Speaker 3: system and we're working to address that.
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  Speaker 2: Minister.
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  Speaker 1: Just finally this morning, one other thing I do want
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  Speaker 1: to ask you about is the front page of the paper.
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  Speaker 1: It is being reported that Uberant has had to be
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  Speaker 1: taken off the shelves in some Coals supermarkets.
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  Speaker 2: This is obviously a big.
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  Speaker 1: Concern if we've got people misusing well household and hygiene
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  Speaker 1: products in an absolutely horrifying way.
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  Speaker 3: Oh, Katie, this is something that is unacceptable and we
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  Speaker 3: need everyone in the community to be aware. We do
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  Speaker 3: need to have community supporting it. And I thank both
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  Speaker 3: supermarkets and thank people for that small inconvenience. We're certainly
• 14:30
  Speaker 3: working through it at a deeper level, working with community
• 14:33
  Speaker 3: around management plans and how we address voltile subjects abuse.
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  Speaker 3: This is something that's not unusual. We've seen various products
• 14:40
  Speaker 3: over the years taken off the shelves and put behind
• 14:43
  Speaker 3: counter so to speak, such as massolated spirits. But we
• 14:46
  Speaker 3: are working on an effective model of care, particularly with
• 14:50
  Speaker 3: VSA in certain communities and in Darwin as well.
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  Speaker 1: Minister, have we had an increase in the number of
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  Speaker 1: people presenting for health health support who have been misusing
• 15:02
  Speaker 1: the likes of deodorant.
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  Speaker 3: It's o Katie. I don't have specific figures, but I
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  Speaker 3: think that's certainly you know, anecdotally, I could say yes
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  Speaker 3: to that, and that's why we're working in this framework,
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  Speaker 3: working with police, community health promotion activities to raise the
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  Speaker 3: awareness and the dangers, and then working with our health
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  Speaker 3: services and other partners to address this issue.
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  Speaker 1: All right, Minister for Health, Natasha Files, we are going
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  Speaker 1: to have to leave it there. Thank you very much
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  Speaker 1: for your time this morning.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you