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: Plenty of you are pretty concerned, certainly worrying or wondering
0:04
Speaker 1: about how many COVID cases we've got the Northern Territory
0:07
Speaker 1: at the moment, what the latest advice is from the
0:09
Speaker 1: Chief Health Officer and joining us on the line to
0:12
Speaker 1: tell us more is the Northern Territories Health Minister Natasha Files,
0:16
Speaker 1: Good morning morning, we'll be morning listening, Minister. Can I
0:20
Speaker 1: ask how many active COVID cases are there now in
0:24
Speaker 1: the Northern Territory? On last count it was fifty three?
0:28
Speaker 1: Has that number gone up since yesterday?
0:31
Speaker 2: So Katie, it's still sitting at fifty three. But I
0:33
Speaker 2: do expect to be briefed later on this morning by
0:36
Speaker 2: the Center of the Disease Control who do that testing,
0:38
Speaker 2: and as soon as we have the full confirmation of
0:41
Speaker 2: more cases, we will provide that in a statement to
0:44
Speaker 2: the community. We have a number of people at the
0:46
Speaker 2: Howard Springs Facility close contacts, family members for example, who
0:50
Speaker 2: are in isolation, and you know some of their loved
0:54
Speaker 2: ones may have tested positive, so that number could rise.
0:57
Speaker 2: But as soon as we have the information we'll share
0:59
Speaker 2: it with the community.
1:00
Speaker 1: Minister. We've got a message here from one of our
1:02
Speaker 1: listeners that says good morning, Katie. My daughter works at
1:04
Speaker 1: the Howard Springs quarantine facility. She said they received fifty
1:09
Speaker 1: COVID positive cases coming from one flight on the weekend.
1:14
Speaker 1: Are you able to ask the health minister about this?
1:18
Speaker 2: So, Katie, the confirmed numbers in the Northern Church of
1:20
Speaker 2: fifty three active cases. Forty eight of those are from
1:23
Speaker 2: international orpatriation and one is an Austrange Defense Force member
1:27
Speaker 2: and for a US marine. In terms of people arriving
1:30
Speaker 2: and on flights they've tested at different periods, we do
1:33
Speaker 2: see people initially test positive, but it turns out that
1:38
Speaker 2: it's a residual case that they were infected some time ago,
1:41
Speaker 2: but they still have a reading. And so these test
1:44
Speaker 2: numbers are based off the CDC advice. They go through
1:47
Speaker 2: a rigorous process and they are current infectious cases.
1:51
Speaker 1: So was there fifty on one of those flights on
1:54
Speaker 1: the weekend?
1:56
Speaker 2: Not that that's not the advice I've got, Katie. We
1:58
Speaker 2: certainly did see a number of cases off the New
2:01
Speaker 2: Delhian Shannai flights they arrived last week, not on the weekend,
2:05
Speaker 2: but not fifty off one plane.
2:07
Speaker 1: Okay, but it does sound as though you are expecting
2:10
Speaker 1: those numbers to go up today.
2:14
Speaker 2: So Katie, we saw a significant increase on Saturday and
2:17
Speaker 2: I spoke it to the media about that. We saw
2:20
Speaker 2: smaller numbers Sunday and yesterday. But as soon as we
2:23
Speaker 2: have those confirmed from the CDC, we will put out
2:27
Speaker 2: that statement that the community knows. But these cases are
2:30
Speaker 2: all in isolation. They're all in the red zone at
2:34
Speaker 2: Howard Springs.
2:35
Speaker 1: Minister, I mean, the possibility of halting these flights from
2:39
Speaker 1: India is now on the national agenda. Do you think
2:43
Speaker 1: that we need to halt those flights from India until
2:45
Speaker 1: things calm down.
2:47
Speaker 2: To Katie, we need to do whatever it takes to
2:50
Speaker 2: keep our community safe. Howard Springs has repatriated close to
2:53
Speaker 2: seven thousand people since that were set up, and we
2:57
Speaker 2: all the way through and have put the Northern Territory
2:59
Speaker 2: and top ends community safety first. So we'll work with
3:03
Speaker 2: the Commonwealth Government. It's a really difficult situation because we've
3:07
Speaker 2: got clearly it's almost a catastrophe in India with those
3:10
Speaker 2: hundreds of thousands of cases each and every day. You know,
3:14
Speaker 2: we just have to look at them through the media
3:17
Speaker 2: and the news that what's happening over there and it's
3:18
Speaker 2: absolute tragic, but we need to get those vulnerable Australians home.
3:21
Speaker 2: But our community safety will always come first.
3:24
Speaker 1: I mean when you look at these numbers. I'm just
3:26
Speaker 1: on the coronavirus website right now, one hundred and twelve
3:30
Speaker 1: people have recovered in the Northern Territory from COVID. We've
3:34
Speaker 1: got fifty three total active cases right now. I mean,
3:39
Speaker 1: this is the highest number that we've had in the
3:41
Speaker 1: territory at any one time, isn't.
3:42
Speaker 2: It correct, Katie? And we have to the community safety
3:46
Speaker 2: always comes first. But fifty three infected people, we know
3:50
Speaker 2: that the majority of those, I think it's all but
3:53
Speaker 2: two are at the Howard Springs Facility having you know,
3:56
Speaker 2: mild clinical symptoms and they can be safely cared for there.
3:59
Speaker 2: But two people Laren Roso in hospital. And so it's
4:02
Speaker 2: not only the numbers coming through and the higher rate
4:06
Speaker 2: of infectivity. So we're seeing one to two percent of
4:09
Speaker 2: people infested off flights other than India. So the London
4:12
Speaker 2: flight Frankset for example, but these India flights are showing
4:15
Speaker 2: over fifteen percent of both people are infected. So we're
4:19
Speaker 2: working with the Commonwealth kDa around how we can safely
4:23
Speaker 2: get these people home with the safety of our community
4:26
Speaker 2: coming first, but making sure that we don't put ourselves
4:29
Speaker 2: at any risk.
4:30
Speaker 1: I mean when you talk about this so on a
4:33
Speaker 1: national stage. I did note that over the weekend on
4:36
Speaker 1: the ABC's Insiders, for example, and I heard Tanya Plibasek,
4:41
Speaker 1: one of the Shadow Ministers, speaking about Howard Springs and
4:44
Speaker 1: everybody looking to Howard Springs at this point in time
4:47
Speaker 1: as being the facility that we need to or you know,
4:50
Speaker 1: we need to recreate in other locations, all the facility
4:53
Speaker 1: that we really need to be relying on, as Ossie's
4:57
Speaker 1: with some of these repatriation flights. But it really does
5:00
Speaker 1: put us at a greater risk, doesn't it.
5:04
Speaker 2: Okatie Howard brings through the physical design. It wasn't purpose built,
5:08
Speaker 2: but it pretty much serves that purpose is fantastic. But
5:12
Speaker 2: it's also the clinical practices and the hard work of
5:15
Speaker 2: all staff out there that have kept territory in safe.
5:18
Speaker 2: But we're very closely monitoring this situation with these increased
5:21
Speaker 2: numbers in people infected, and it's not just within that facility,
5:25
Speaker 2: but the flow and a set if they were to
5:27
Speaker 2: take severely ill and we have everything in hand. We're
5:30
Speaker 2: managing it well and where I spoke to the Federal
5:33
Speaker 2: Minister Greg Hunt yesterday and he's always put the Northern
5:36
Speaker 2: Territory safety first. So to reassure territorians, we will manage
5:41
Speaker 2: this in a very safe way. Putting you know, our
5:45
Speaker 2: responsibilities of getting these vulnerable people home absolutely is at
5:49
Speaker 2: the paramount, but at the same time we have to
5:50
Speaker 2: care for our community.
5:52
Speaker 1: On that note, then do you think that we do
5:54
Speaker 1: need to hold these flights from India from coming into
5:57
Speaker 1: the Northern Territory at this point?
6:00
Speaker 2: So Katie, National Cabinet had in depth conversations and I
6:02
Speaker 2: know the Chief Minister and Prime Minister and the relative
6:05
Speaker 2: departments have continued those conversations over the weekend. You know,
6:09
Speaker 2: the Federal Health Minister was very upfront with me whatever
6:12
Speaker 2: the Northern Territory needs to do to keep our community safe,
6:14
Speaker 2: but we do need to have a pathway to get
6:17
Speaker 2: these people home. And the manner in which OSMAT has
6:20
Speaker 2: cared for people, we've got people out of Wuhan'd off
6:23
Speaker 2: the Diamond Princess. You know, we're shown that we can
6:25
Speaker 2: do it. So we'll keep working through that with the
6:27
Speaker 2: federal authorities. But to reassure your listeners because I know
6:30
Speaker 2: that you know as much as we all feel, we've
6:33
Speaker 2: got an obligation to help people caught up overseas. Our
6:35
Speaker 2: community safety and our way of life must come first,
6:38
Speaker 2: and it does.
6:39
Speaker 1: Minister. At a press conference on Saturday, you revealed an
6:43
Speaker 1: additional PPE protocol breach had taken place following reports on
6:47
Speaker 1: Friday that a staff member at Royal Dalen Hospital was
6:50
Speaker 1: not wearing the full suite of protective gear. What has
6:55
Speaker 1: happened here and are you concerned about about these breaches?
7:00
Speaker 2: So, of course any breach of PPE is very concerning.
7:03
Speaker 2: So PPA is a personal protective equipment and there is
7:07
Speaker 2: a suite of measures that people wear gloves, masks, gowns,
7:12
Speaker 2: space shields, goggles. And so a staff member reached the
7:16
Speaker 2: PPEA protocol. They didn't have the full PP on kate.
7:19
Speaker 2: It wasn't like they just washed into a room with nothing,
7:21
Speaker 2: but a senior cline mission quickly identified that they needed
7:24
Speaker 2: to have further equipment that's on and they didn't, and
7:27
Speaker 2: so they are now in isolation at Howard Springs for
7:30
Speaker 2: their safety and the broader safety of our community. And
7:34
Speaker 2: there was an additional breach with a transportation and a
7:38
Speaker 2: Saint John's employee was involved in that quickly identified. And
7:42
Speaker 2: again they're in isolation at Howard Springs, So we have
7:46
Speaker 2: strict protocols and there is testing, and there is training,
7:49
Speaker 2: and there is auditing, and unfortunately, sometimes human behavior things
7:53
Speaker 2: do go wrong. But in both situations it would quickly identify.
7:56
Speaker 1: Well, and I guess that you know the reality is
7:59
Speaker 1: in other states and territories, You're right, these things do
8:01
Speaker 1: go wrong and unfortunately what we've seen as a result
8:04
Speaker 1: in some cases is community transmission. Now I guess what
8:08
Speaker 1: I'm keen to find out is with fifty three total
8:11
Speaker 1: active cases in the territory, so the highest number of
8:14
Speaker 1: cases that we've ever had at any one time out
8:17
Speaker 1: there at Howard Springs, and then with these two breaches,
8:21
Speaker 1: does it demonstrate how fragile the situation is in terms
8:26
Speaker 1: of if there were to be a further breach out
8:29
Speaker 1: there at Howard Springs as those numbers presumably grow.
8:34
Speaker 2: Katie, as the Minister responsible, I have confidence in that
8:36
Speaker 2: the protocols that are in place, and this highlights why
8:39
Speaker 2: we must continually train and test and audit those people
8:44
Speaker 2: working in quarantine facilities, whether they're from cleaners and staff
8:48
Speaker 2: that are performing functions around the facility right through chi
8:51
Speaker 2: senior nurses and doctors and clinicians. Because you know habits,
8:55
Speaker 2: you do it every single day, but just one time
8:58
Speaker 2: not quite getting it right. The strict procedures that are
9:01
Speaker 2: in place and the processes around them ensure that we
9:04
Speaker 2: keep the community safe and we will continue to uphold that.
9:07
Speaker 2: And that's why when we talk about the Howard Springs facility,
9:10
Speaker 2: it's not just the physical infrastructure, it's the processes that
9:13
Speaker 2: have been embedded into those processes around perpatriating a team.
9:17
Speaker 1: You're right, You're right. It is certainly about those procedures.
9:21
Speaker 1: And I did note that you spoke before as well
9:23
Speaker 1: about the clinical safety, and you also spoke about the
9:25
Speaker 1: wonderful work of the OZMAT team. Is when is that
9:30
Speaker 1: transition going to be happening? Was that due to begin today,
9:34
Speaker 1: the transition of the OZMAT Team or the National Critical
9:38
Speaker 1: Care and Trauma Response Center no longer managing the international
9:42
Speaker 1: side of things and nt Health taking over.
9:45
Speaker 2: No, So the transition begins on May third. And when
9:48
Speaker 2: the transition begins, it's a process in which we can
9:51
Speaker 2: slowly these repatriation flights will eventually come under one banner
9:57
Speaker 2: and it'll be a sustainable model going forward. But are
10:00
Speaker 2: not simply leaving the facility on a certain day. They
10:03
Speaker 2: have very much assured me that they will be there
10:06
Speaker 2: until it is safe for them to be able to
10:09
Speaker 2: exit the facility. But some of those people, Katie, that
10:11
Speaker 2: have been there working under the os maat banner will
10:13
Speaker 2: continue to work under this one model as we go forward.
10:18
Speaker 1: So how many of those four hundred positions have now
10:21
Speaker 1: been filled? I know that from early last week you'd
10:24
Speaker 1: said seventy. Is there an update on those numbers.
10:28
Speaker 2: I haven't formally issued an update around the recruitment, but
10:31
Speaker 2: it is going well and I look forward to sharing
10:33
Speaker 2: those numbers and senior positions with the community in the
10:35
Speaker 2: coming day.
10:36
Speaker 1: What are we waiting for in terms of sharing those numbers.
10:40
Speaker 2: So there's a recruitment process and we have to respect
10:42
Speaker 2: that the Public Service Employment Act and there has to
10:45
Speaker 2: be some formality around it. So I was briefed yesterday
10:48
Speaker 2: by the Department of Health and that is going well
10:50
Speaker 2: and as soon as it's appropriate for me to release
10:53
Speaker 2: those details, I will do.
10:54
Speaker 1: So, okay, Minister, can I ask what's the latest advice
10:57
Speaker 1: for Perth at this point.
11:00
Speaker 2: Thanks Katie. So in terms of Perth, we did see
11:02
Speaker 2: the Western Australian Government announced last night that they would
11:06
Speaker 2: lift the lockdown for Perth and Peel Region, but they
11:09
Speaker 2: still have a number of measures in place to keep
11:12
Speaker 2: their community safe. Our Chief Health Officer will participate in
11:16
Speaker 2: NHPPC today around lunchtime and then he will brief us
11:20
Speaker 2: and we'll make a decision on our hot spots policy
11:24
Speaker 2: and what's happened out of Perth. We have to be
11:26
Speaker 2: very cautious and it was relieving to see that there
11:29
Speaker 2: was no case numbers yesterday out of Perth, but we'll
11:33
Speaker 2: just keep that in place until we're absolutely sure it's
11:36
Speaker 2: safe to remove it.
11:37
Speaker 1: All right, so it is, but there is a possibility
11:39
Speaker 1: that that could be lifted at lunchtime today, so.
11:42
Speaker 2: The Chief Health Officer is looking at what the situation is.
11:47
Speaker 2: There was still some work around contact tracing that was
11:49
Speaker 2: being undertaken and finalized late yesterday's minderstanding the WA government
11:54
Speaker 2: is the lockdown, but they've still kept the number of
11:56
Speaker 2: measures in place, such as wearing masks. So we just
11:59
Speaker 2: want to keep the territory safe by being absolutely certain
12:01
Speaker 2: before we remove that, all.
12:02
Speaker 1: Right, Minister, I do want to ask you. I know
12:05
Speaker 1: that it's another issue. It's about a surgeon shortage. As
12:08
Speaker 1: we know, you and I have discussed this before at
12:10
Speaker 1: Royal Darwin Hospital, but it's again been raised by the
12:13
Speaker 1: Australian Medical Association of the Northern Territory. They've spoken to
12:17
Speaker 1: the paper and say that they're concerned about the pressure
12:20
Speaker 1: it's put on staff and waiting lists blowing out. Where
12:24
Speaker 1: is the recruitment app with these six surgeons?
12:28
Speaker 2: So, Katie, the territory is home to some clinicians who
12:30
Speaker 2: observe their entire professional career here in the territory and
12:33
Speaker 2: we're very grateful for that, and others come and go.
12:36
Speaker 2: So we have a focus on recruiting into the territory
12:38
Speaker 2: and we want to retain that highly skilled workforce. We're
12:41
Speaker 2: currently working with the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons to
12:44
Speaker 2: recruit more surgeons and surgical nurses Katie to work in
12:48
Speaker 2: the territory so that we can make sure we've got
12:51
Speaker 2: that sustainable workforce going from.
12:52
Speaker 1: So where are things at? Because again I say, you
12:55
Speaker 1: and I spoke about this, I reckon a few weeks
12:57
Speaker 1: ago and you've given a very similar answer.
13:00
Speaker 2: So Katie, we're committed to expanding the capacity for surgery
13:03
Speaker 2: across our hospital and so we've obviously got Royal Dalen Hospital,
13:07
Speaker 2: but also Palmerston Hospital. We've got the ability to deliver
13:10
Speaker 2: surgery out there and some surgery is taking place, but
13:13
Speaker 2: we want to expand that. So we've got our clinical
13:15
Speaker 2: services planned. But recruitment to those positions is important, and
13:19
Speaker 2: we've been working with the college around ways in which
13:22
Speaker 2: we can have an attractive pathway forward for them to
13:25
Speaker 2: build their skills and stay in the territory.
13:28
Speaker 1: So at this point we haven't filled any of those
13:30
Speaker 1: six positions.
13:32
Speaker 2: So Katie, I'm not sure of exactly which positions are
13:35
Speaker 2: in aren't field, but we acknowledge that surgeons and surgical
13:38
Speaker 2: nurses is an area of priority within the health workforce.
13:41
Speaker 1: Quite a few messages coming through on the text line.
13:44
Speaker 1: There's one here It says, Hi, Katie, stop these flights.
13:47
Speaker 1: These people choose to live overseas. They were told to
13:50
Speaker 1: come back, they chose not to. Now we're supposed to
13:53
Speaker 1: bring them back. They're putting everyone at risk. Says that. Texter.
13:57
Speaker 1: What's your response to that, Minister Katie, is so difficult.
14:01
Speaker 2: It's so easy to say to stop the flights, but
14:04
Speaker 2: this is a humanitarian response. I have people coming to
14:07
Speaker 2: me in my community, their friends, their family have been
14:10
Speaker 2: caught up overseas. When COVID first hit, many people thought
14:14
Speaker 2: just bunker down, stay where you are if they couldn't
14:16
Speaker 2: get out in time, And now as the months have
14:19
Speaker 2: dragged into a year, it's a really difficult situation.
14:22
Speaker 1: I've got another one here. It says, please ask file
14:24
Speaker 1: Zy if social distancing and signing in venues is still mandatory.
14:31
Speaker 2: So, Katie, it's really important that we all the personal
14:34
Speaker 2: steps we can take, so if we're stick staying at home,
14:36
Speaker 2: getting tested, using hand sanitizer, just keeping that extra distance
14:41
Speaker 2: between people. But also that QR coding is really important.
14:45
Speaker 2: Particularly it's difficult because we haven't had an outbreak, we
14:48
Speaker 2: haven't had to use it, but if we were to
14:50
Speaker 2: see that it would be so vital.
14:51
Speaker 1: So is it, Manda Tray.
14:54
Speaker 2: So Katie, it's still part of COVID management plan. So
14:57
Speaker 2: when you go to a business or you go to
14:59
Speaker 2: an event, they will submitted a management plan to the
15:02
Speaker 2: Department of Health, and so yes, it is part.
15:04
Speaker 1: Of that Okay, I just want to go across to
15:06
Speaker 1: another thing that you and I spoke quite extensively about
15:09
Speaker 1: with the whole panel on Friday during the week. That
15:11
Speaker 1: was that worker shortage for hospitality and also tourism. This
15:16
Speaker 1: is an issue for farmers as well, but I do
15:18
Speaker 1: just want to focus for a moment on hospitality and tourism.
15:21
Speaker 1: On Friday, the government announced two million dollars to entice
15:24
Speaker 1: people to the territory to fill critical worker shortages in
15:28
Speaker 1: these sectors, Minister, are these incentives just aimed at people
15:33
Speaker 1: living inter state?
15:36
Speaker 2: So, Katie, these incentives are aims at anyone that wants
15:39
Speaker 2: to join the sectives that we're currently seeing a shortage
15:42
Speaker 2: in workers. So particularly hospitality and primary industries are two areas.
15:46
Speaker 2: So some of the opportunities in the package include short
15:50
Speaker 2: courses that are provided by the government, so free around
15:52
Speaker 2: responsible service of alcohol, housekeeping and tour guiding. So we've
15:56
Speaker 2: worked with industry and identified the positions that they're really
15:59
Speaker 2: struggling to feel and looking at how we can try
16:02
Speaker 2: and support them to get people into those positions.
16:05
Speaker 1: So at this point in time, are we doing anything
16:09
Speaker 1: to bring workers from overseas or to maybe extend visas,
16:13
Speaker 1: work with the federal government to extend visas for those
16:16
Speaker 1: who are already in Australia.
16:19
Speaker 2: So there's been conversations between the Chief Minister and the
16:21
Speaker 2: Schedial treasure around the visas. And so some people are
16:23
Speaker 2: here and they're restricted to working for one employer, they
16:26
Speaker 2: can only work a certain number of hours, so that
16:28
Speaker 2: there are workforce that's here. We did do a lot
16:31
Speaker 2: of work around team or less and getting some of
16:33
Speaker 2: those fruit pickers, and then we've seen the coronavirus situation
16:37
Speaker 2: worse and dramatically over there, so it is better to
16:39
Speaker 2: rely on a workforce that's here in Australia. But we're
16:42
Speaker 2: certainly open to different ideas. But this two million dollar
16:45
Speaker 2: package is aims particularly at supporting those industries that are
16:49
Speaker 2: really struggling to get workers with practical measures like I
16:51
Speaker 2: just outlined.
16:52
Speaker 1: Minister for Health Natasha Fhiles, we are going to have
16:55
Speaker 1: to leave it there. Thanks so much for your time
16:56
Speaker 1: this morning.
16:57
Speaker 2: Thanks Katie,