Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Katie spoke with Health Minister Natasha Fyles about the return to school and state of the NT healthcare system

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Katie spoke with Health Minister Natasha Fyles about the return to school and state of the NT healthcare system · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Now joining me on the line right now is the
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Health Minister Natasha Files. Good morning to your minister.
• 0:06
  Speaker 2: Good morning, Katie, Good morning listeners.
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: Good to have you on the show for the first
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: time for the year, and no doubt it's going to
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: be a busy year again, Minister. One hundred and fourteen
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: patients in hospital, five of those in ice you is
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: this the highest number of patients we've had in icee you, Katie, The.
• 0:25
  Speaker 2: Numbers fluctuate, but my understanding is that this is our
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: highest number of hospitalized patients. I would have to double
• 0:31
  Speaker 2: check whether this is the highest number in ICU, But Katie,
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  Speaker 2: what we see is people come into our hospital system,
• 0:37
  Speaker 2: they get assessment. They may end up staying in hospital
• 0:41
  Speaker 2: because they need that care for their COVID or it
• 0:43
  Speaker 2: could be that they have other health issues that need
• 0:46
  Speaker 2: to be cared for and COVID they also test COVID positive.
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  Speaker 2: So we've got seventy seven people in the World Zarwen Hospital,
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  Speaker 2: twenty eight people in the Alice Spring Hospital, four people
• 0:56
  Speaker 2: in the Catherine Hospital, three in the TANet Creek Hospital,
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  Speaker 2: and two in the Go District Hospital. These are the
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  Speaker 2: figures from yesterday when I finished speaking to you, I'll
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  Speaker 2: be fully briefed on the situation, and we do see.
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  Speaker 2: These figures are fluctuate and change daily. And what the
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  Speaker 2: health professionals tell me is that people come into the system,
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  Speaker 2: they're cared bought, Some may only be in for a
• 1:15
  Speaker 2: short period, others have a more significant day in hospital,
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  Speaker 2: and of course everything's managed.
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  Speaker 1: So are currently one hundred and fourteen of those patients
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  Speaker 1: in hospital and you believe that that's the highest number
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  Speaker 1: that we've had in hospital at any time in the territory.
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  Speaker 2: Correct, Katian. Nine of those patients are receiving oxygen and
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  Speaker 2: as you said, five of those patients are an intensive care.
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  Speaker 1: Now, obviously this is a large number when you talk
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  Speaker 1: about the numbers within our hospital system, and I know
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  Speaker 1: that they're obviously spread out, as you've pointed out, in
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  Speaker 1: different hospitals and different regions around the territory. But what
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  Speaker 1: impact is this having on our health system right now?
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  Speaker 2: Oh, there's no doubt that the COVID nineteen pandemic is
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  Speaker 2: having an impact on our hospital system. It is on
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  Speaker 2: hospital systems around the nation. But we've got robust contingency
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  Speaker 2: plans and you've seen some of those stepped up over
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  Speaker 2: the Christmas media period, Katy, all of the hospitals have
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  Speaker 2: a COVID nineteen management plan which includes like reconfiguring parts
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  Speaker 2: of the hospital so we can have an infectious COVID
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  Speaker 2: ward and keep other patients separate so we can manage
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  Speaker 2: you know, both COVID and non COVID situations. And then
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  Speaker 2: we've also got additional surge capacity that we can bring
• 2:24
  Speaker 2: into the hospital.
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  Speaker 1: So in terms of Royal Dwin Hospital, I know that
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  Speaker 1: last year we had a number of code yellows. How
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  Speaker 1: is the hospital tracking at this point in time and
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  Speaker 1: are things you know, are things being managed quite well
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  Speaker 1: right now?
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  Speaker 2: Oh, it's certainly causing an impact and pressure on our
• 2:41
  Speaker 2: hospital system, but our staff are managing this excellently. The
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  Speaker 2: operational decisions that are made are in the best interest
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  Speaker 2: of caring for those COVID patients but also other Territorians
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  Speaker 2: who may have an accident or an illness that needs
• 2:54
  Speaker 2: that emergency acute hospital care. So those COVID management plans
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  Speaker 2: are in place across our hospitals. And you've seen things Katie,
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  Speaker 2: such as elective surgery Category two and three has been
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  Speaker 2: deferred and so we are of course continuing that emergency
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  Speaker 2: in Category one surgery is but there are some of
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  Speaker 2: the impacts that you're seeing from this COVID that we've
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: got in the territory community and of course in our
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: hospital system.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, that is one of the things that I'm keen
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  Speaker 1: to ask about, is elective surgery before I get there, though,
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  Speaker 1: I mean, are we at capacity at the moment. We're
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  Speaker 1: not in a code yellow right now, are we?
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  Speaker 2: No, o, Katie, We're not in a code yellow? Is
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  Speaker 2: that at rozale In Hospital last week? And we certainly,
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  Speaker 2: you know, have got a significant number of COVID patients
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  Speaker 2: in our hospital. But between our main hospital tower, the
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  Speaker 2: Lorraine Brendon Center and of course the Howards Springs facility,
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  Speaker 2: we're able to provide the appropriate care. And we are seeing, Katie,
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  Speaker 2: large numbers of people having a very mild illness or
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  Speaker 2: you know, just a couple of days where they're feeling
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  Speaker 2: quite unwell. They're not needing to come into the hospital
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  Speaker 2: system with COVID.
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  Speaker 1: Now, how are we going in terms of staff, Like
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  Speaker 1: are you seeing out there at Royal dal And Hospital
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  Speaker 1: or at any of our health care centers at this
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  Speaker 1: point in time those staff getting COVID and not being
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  Speaker 1: able to go to work.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, Katie, we certainly have had an impact of staff
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  Speaker 2: being close contacts unless so getting COVID. We have not seen.
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  Speaker 2: We've had a couple of staff who have unfortunately picked
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  Speaker 2: up COVID from the workplace. The large majority of people
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  Speaker 2: in health that are testing COVID positive are picking it
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  Speaker 2: up in the general community or return travel. But we
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  Speaker 2: have had an impact, and that's why you've seen changes
• 4:35
  Speaker 2: to the ability for essential workers if there are close
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  Speaker 2: contact with strict infectious disease protocols to continue working so
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  Speaker 2: that they can provide that importance support into our system,
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  Speaker 2: but also make sure that there is all measures in
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  Speaker 2: place to stop any you know, pick up if they
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  Speaker 2: become infectious.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, that was a question that we had from one
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  Speaker 1: of our listeners asking I'd heard that health workers can
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  Speaker 1: actually go to work if they're COVID positive as long
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: as they've got no symptoms.
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  Speaker 3: So is that the case, Katie, I'd have to double
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  Speaker 3: check that.
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  Speaker 2: My understanding is that it's close contact. So we've seen
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  Speaker 2: that in some situations a couple of members of the
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  Speaker 2: household will get COVID and another couple will not. Then
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  Speaker 2: we see some cases where everybody in the house gets COVID,
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  Speaker 2: So it was around those close contacts because that was
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  Speaker 2: taking a large number of essential workers offline, so allowing
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  Speaker 2: them just to fill not only medical roles, but you know,
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  Speaker 2: other essential work that obviously with strict protocols to see
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  Speaker 2: if they did test positive.
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  Speaker 1: Now, obviously last year you and I had spoken on
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  Speaker 1: numerous occasions about the staff shortages with nurses and some
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: of those concerns obviously around things like elective surgeries being postponed,
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  Speaker 1: but also the Palmerston Emergency Department not operating at full capacity.
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  Speaker 1: Where are we at at the moment with the Palmerston
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  Speaker 1: Regional Hospital.
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  Speaker 2: So, Katie, my understanding is the Palmerston Regional Hospital is
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  Speaker 2: operating as no more apart from obviously those Category two
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  Speaker 2: and three surgeries which are being deferred under the COVID
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  Speaker 2: management plan. But the ED is operationally as we would expect.
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  Speaker 1: And with those elective surgeries, how long are they going
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  Speaker 1: to be pushed back for? Because I know a lot
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  Speaker 1: of people listening this morning are probably booked in to
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  Speaker 1: have elective surgery or at some point had an elective
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  Speaker 1: surgery booked in which has been postponed.
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  Speaker 3: How long are people going to be expecting to wait.
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  Speaker 2: So Katie, it's really important for people to understand that
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  Speaker 2: emergency care is as normal and so is Category one.
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  Speaker 2: So if people are in an emergency situation, they should
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  Speaker 2: always reach out to hospital care. In terms of those
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  Speaker 2: Category two and three surgeries being deferred, we've put additional
• 6:44
  Speaker 2: systems in place and we're really trying to reduce that impact.
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  Speaker 2: It's around sad pressures. So obviously, with a large number
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  Speaker 2: of COVID patients in our hospital, there's not there's available
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  Speaker 2: and even if someone is undergoing a day procedure or
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  Speaker 2: a procedure that might only need an overnight stay, we
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  Speaker 2: have to be responsible and think worst case scenario. So
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  Speaker 2: there's a number of factors and so we're trying to
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  Speaker 2: work to manage those dead pressures so that we can
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  Speaker 2: minimize the risk of those elective surgery cancelations. So through
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  Speaker 2: the Christmas periods, Category twos and threes are often not
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  Speaker 2: scheduled anyway. And what's happened is as we've stepped out
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  Speaker 2: of the Christmas holiday period, that has continued because of
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  Speaker 2: the COVID posture in the territory.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, now, what about what about the Darwen private hospital.
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  Speaker 1: I understand and I had seen reported over the Christmas
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  Speaker 1: break that the Darwen private hospitals obviously working with nt
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  Speaker 1: Health and Royal Darwin Hospital on the territory's COVID response
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  Speaker 1: making that water available and accepting non COVID patients.
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  Speaker 3: Is that still happening, yeah, Katie.
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  Speaker 2: So what happened is right back at the beginning of
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  Speaker 2: the pandemic in March twenty twenty, the Commonwealth government works
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  Speaker 2: with the states and territories and the private hospitals to
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  Speaker 2: establish if we needed that dead capacity, how could we
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  Speaker 2: work together and so we have implemented through the January
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  Speaker 2: area is of COVID nineteen Surge Capacity Plan and that's
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  Speaker 2: in partnership with the dull And private hospital. And just
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  Speaker 2: like to acknowledge the team out there. So these aren't
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  Speaker 2: COVID patients that are going into the private hospital We've
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  Speaker 2: got and understand today Katid there's about twenty beds being occupied,
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  Speaker 2: so we have the public system has taken twenty five
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  Speaker 2: beds the twenty five bed wards the Corell award to
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  Speaker 2: utilize for non COVID patients. So we're keeping all of
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  Speaker 2: our COVID patients in the Royal Dalen Hospital. We've got
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  Speaker 2: them in infectious disease wards, but this has taken over
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  Speaker 2: award for other care and those numbers will fluctuate. It
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  Speaker 2: was fifteen last week. It can go up, it can
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  Speaker 2: go down. It's quite a complex funding system tating. So
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  Speaker 2: the federal government and the territory government are funding those
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  Speaker 2: hospital beds that are utilized, but the Commonwealth government is
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  Speaker 2: stepping in and so today there's some beds that the
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  Speaker 2: private hospital are holding for the public system, but they're
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  Speaker 2: not being utilized, so the Commonwealth is playing for those
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  Speaker 2: whilst they're held, if that makes sense to you and
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  Speaker 2: your listener.
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  Speaker 1: So essentially it's not an additional cost burden at this
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  Speaker 1: point in time to the Northern Territory government.
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  Speaker 2: So we are paying for the use for the beds
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  Speaker 2: we use Katie, So we're using twenty beds today, so
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  Speaker 2: we're paying fifty percent and the common masth are paying
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  Speaker 2: fifty percent of those beds. In terms of the today
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  Speaker 2: it's five fads. That figure fluctuates those beds that the
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  Speaker 2: private are holding so they're not utilizing them. The Commonwealth
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  Speaker 2: are paying one hundred percent of those beds. But if
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  Speaker 2: we stepped up and use that bed tomorrow, it would
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  Speaker 2: come back to fifty fifty if If that's clear, And.
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  Speaker 1: So how much is this going to cost us per month?
• 9:33
  Speaker 1: I guess while we are needing that contingency in place.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, Katie, So that's it's done retrospectively, and you can
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  Speaker 2: see that because the variations each day. But just to
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  Speaker 2: give you an estimate, it's about nineteen hundred dollars a
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  Speaker 2: day for a bed in an acute hospital bed and
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  Speaker 2: that could go up to someone's in intensive care or
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  Speaker 2: it could but that's the average.
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  Speaker 1: And so for nineteen hundred a day per bed, correct.
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  Speaker 2: Katie, But we are funding fifty percent of that and
• 10:01
  Speaker 2: a common wealthage. That's how much a hospital bed it's lady, Yeah,
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  Speaker 2: that's what it's budgeted across the system. So you had
• 10:07
  Speaker 2: fifteen beds and you were utilizing them, it would be
• 10:11
  Speaker 2: about twenty eight thousand dollars a day. Now the Commonwealth
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  Speaker 2: would fund half of that and we would fund the
• 10:15
  Speaker 2: other half. And so you can work your figures out.
• 10:18
  Speaker 2: That's just iteah, to give territory as an understanding. But
• 10:21
  Speaker 2: of course all of this is reconciled and this is
• 10:24
  Speaker 2: the hospital funding system its activity based funding is a
• 10:27
  Speaker 2: very complex system to understand because you get funding from
• 10:31
  Speaker 2: both the states and territories as well as the Commonwealth government.
• 10:33
  Speaker 1: Yeah, well, there is no doubt that COVID is costing
• 10:36
  Speaker 1: you a lot in a lot of different ways. And
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  Speaker 1: one of those other areas, of course, is that concern
• 10:42
  Speaker 1: when it comes to two other sectors that are doing
• 10:44
  Speaker 1: it tough at the moment, including the likes of tourism
• 10:47
  Speaker 1: and hospitality. Now, yesterday on the show, Alex Bruce from
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: Hospitality and joined us and called for clearer timelines when
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: it comes to restrictions and some of those inconsistencies around
• 10:57
  Speaker 1: staff having to cite vaccine vaccinaeation status of patrons, you know,
• 11:02
  Speaker 1: at the likes of pubs, but not having to do
• 11:04
  Speaker 1: that then if you're go into a gym, for example.
• 11:07
  Speaker 1: They say that since New Year's venues from small coffee
• 11:11
  Speaker 1: shops right to large establishments are now fifty to ninety
• 11:16
  Speaker 1: percent down on trade, is the government going to be
• 11:20
  Speaker 1: looking more closely at different ways to support some of
• 11:23
  Speaker 1: these industries.
• 11:25
  Speaker 2: We cady acknowledge the impact of COVID, and there's some
• 11:28
  Speaker 2: sectors that have been particularly hard hit. The measures we
• 11:31
  Speaker 2: have in place the public health measures and they are
• 11:34
  Speaker 2: achieving that aim of flattening that curve so that we
• 11:37
  Speaker 2: can manage the COVID we have in our community. Well,
• 11:40
  Speaker 2: we've certainly worked closely with the sector as being a
• 11:42
  Speaker 2: range of supports. We've spoken about these that we've provided,
• 11:45
  Speaker 2: and we're very conscious of the public health measures that
• 11:48
  Speaker 2: we put in place and the unintended consequences they may
• 11:51
  Speaker 2: have across the range of business sectors.
• 11:54
  Speaker 1: What is the likes of tourism telling you right now,
• 11:57
  Speaker 1: particularly in Central Australia, because I know that in the
• 12:00
  Speaker 1: lead into Christmas they were at breaking point, you know.
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  Speaker 1: Yesterday for example, we spoke to a couple of hospitality
• 12:05
  Speaker 1: businesses who are doing it tough, not only as a
• 12:08
  Speaker 1: result of COVID but also as a result of crime.
• 12:11
  Speaker 1: But just how tough times for our tourism operators in
• 12:15
  Speaker 1: Central Australia right now.
• 12:17
  Speaker 2: Okay, you acknowledge how difficult it is, you know, for
• 12:20
  Speaker 2: tourism operators, but particularly in Central Australia. We've seen the
• 12:23
  Speaker 2: vouchers in the top end through the holiday period, you know,
• 12:26
  Speaker 2: and they have had an increased impact in Central Australia.
• 12:29
  Speaker 2: But it's certainly not the population, but it's certainly COVID
• 12:33
  Speaker 2: is impacting within the territory, but it is far less
• 12:37
  Speaker 2: of an impact than those prolonged lockdowns we saw on
• 12:40
  Speaker 2: the East Coast over the last couple of years. And
• 12:43
  Speaker 2: that's why we're managing with a proportionate response around COVID.
• 12:46
  Speaker 1: Well, I mean, the world's changing though now, and certainly
• 12:48
  Speaker 1: the way that we're managing COVID is changing right now.
• 12:50
  Speaker 3: With the omre con variant.
• 12:52
  Speaker 1: It's you know, it is very different in those other
• 12:55
  Speaker 1: states as well. People are sort of moving around a
• 12:57
  Speaker 1: little bit more freely with restrictions in place. But I
• 13:00
  Speaker 1: guess to really go back to that point that hospitality
• 13:03
  Speaker 1: is making and I'm assuming and I haven't spoken to
• 13:05
  Speaker 1: tourism yet this year, but I'm assuming that those in
• 13:08
  Speaker 1: the tourism sector would be making as well. Is that
• 13:11
  Speaker 1: there has to be some kind of support mechanism put
• 13:13
  Speaker 1: in place for them to bounce back. And is that
• 13:16
  Speaker 1: something that the government is taking seriously at this point.
• 13:20
  Speaker 2: Yeah, Katie. We've provided a range of supports, particularly to
• 13:22
  Speaker 2: the tourism and hospitality sector. So we have the Tourism
• 13:25
  Speaker 2: Survival Funds of Visitation reliance support programs and the teritory
• 13:28
  Speaker 2: business lockdown, So really focusing on those people that are
• 13:32
  Speaker 2: not able to pivot their businesses during COVID and provide
• 13:35
  Speaker 2: them with support so that they're there as we step
• 13:37
  Speaker 2: through the pandemic and hopefully out of it.
• 13:40
  Speaker 1: Now, I want to ask, we know that as tourism
• 13:43
  Speaker 1: is obviously struggling at this point, it's been.
• 13:45
  Speaker 3: A tough couple of years.
• 13:47
  Speaker 1: One of the things that did happen that seemed to
• 13:49
  Speaker 1: be a good thing was that London darh and flight.
• 13:52
  Speaker 3: Is it going to stay in place?
• 13:55
  Speaker 2: Yeah, Katie, we're working really hard with quantas. They have
• 13:58
  Speaker 2: certainly seen the benefit of having that flight come through
• 14:02
  Speaker 2: the top end. It provides them with a secure base
• 14:05
  Speaker 2: in Australia. And this comes back to the point we've
• 14:07
  Speaker 2: been very proportionate in balancing the health advice and the
• 14:10
  Speaker 2: public health measures and keeping our communities safe and flattening
• 14:13
  Speaker 2: that curve versus you know, the change that you just
• 14:16
  Speaker 2: spoke about that you know we're stepping through it. People
• 14:18
  Speaker 2: are traveling a little more normally, so we're certainly very
• 14:21
  Speaker 2: keen to see that flight continue with conscious Now, do you.
• 14:24
  Speaker 1: Think we've reached our peak or do you think that
• 14:26
  Speaker 1: we are realistically going to hit this peak of COVID
• 14:30
  Speaker 1: now that school's back.
• 14:32
  Speaker 2: Yeah, Katie, it's interesting. And the clinical advice is that
• 14:35
  Speaker 2: you don't realize that you hit your peak until you're
• 14:37
  Speaker 2: through it, and that makes sense for anyone that's looked
• 14:39
  Speaker 2: at a grass But clearly we expected a rising case
• 14:42
  Speaker 2: numbers as people return to the territory from the January
• 14:45
  Speaker 2: school holidays and heading back into school. And we've put
• 14:49
  Speaker 2: in place a number of measures in our classrooms to
• 14:51
  Speaker 2: keep our kids safe and to keep our schools functioning
• 14:55
  Speaker 2: and face to face learning, which is so important. So
• 14:57
  Speaker 2: we do expect more cases. It is going to be
• 14:59
  Speaker 2: a term, but I think parents in schools have worked
• 15:03
  Speaker 2: together with our health officials to put as many practical
• 15:06
  Speaker 2: measures in place, and we certainly will be agile as
• 15:10
  Speaker 2: we go through the next few weeks, but I expect
• 15:12
  Speaker 2: to see two cases within our school, just as we're
• 15:14
  Speaker 2: saying across our community.
• 15:15
  Speaker 1: All right, health Minister Natasha Files, we better leave it there.
• 15:18
  Speaker 1: We will catch up with you again. Are you back
• 15:20
  Speaker 1: on board for the week that was on Friday?
• 15:24
  Speaker 2: Okay, I've been really missing it, but that's we've been
• 15:26
  Speaker 2: having those all important semi meetings, so hopefully you'll see
• 15:30
  Speaker 2: me sooner rather than later.
• 15:31
  Speaker 3: Awesome, Thank you, we'll talk to you again very soon.