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Speaker 1: Now we know that a Code yellow has been declared

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Speaker 1: at Royal Dal and Palmerston Hospitals due to a spike

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Speaker 1: in demand. Nt Health says the internal emergency comes after

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Speaker 1: an increase in patient admissions over the last week. Now

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Speaker 1: joining me on the line to tell us a little

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Speaker 1: bit more is the AMA the Australian Medical Association Northern

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Speaker 1: Territory President, Doctor Robert Parker. Good morning to you, Dr Parker,

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Speaker 1: Morning Katie. Now tell me can you shed any more

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Speaker 1: light on what's led to the latest code yellow?

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Speaker 2: Well, I think it's again the more things change, the

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Speaker 2: more they say the same and just more pressure on

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Speaker 2: the hospital. We obviously haven't got enough beds and there's

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Speaker 2: the issue. Yeah, so there's not in a beds and

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Speaker 2: there's other factor's impacting on the whole issues such as

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Speaker 2: not enough age care bed, so people remaining in hospital

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Speaker 2: when they should be in an age care bed or

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Speaker 2: avisability bed. And potentially I suppose the increasing cost of

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Speaker 2: primary care and people having to attendee deal or laying

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Speaker 2: care because they can't get they can't afford primary care

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Speaker 2: and then turning up with complications in the ED, which

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Speaker 2: adds to increase hospitals so it's sort of a pressure

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Speaker 2: on both ends as well as you know the issues

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Speaker 2: I've been talking about with you for years where we

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Speaker 2: territory hospitals all being incredibly busy most of the time,

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Speaker 2: and the busiest hospitals in Australia, and doesn't take much

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Speaker 2: then to put them into an overload situation when you

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Speaker 2: get a particular spike or something.

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Speaker 1: Now, tell me what a hell's work is saying to you,

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Speaker 1: What are doctors and nurses saying to you at this

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Speaker 1: point in time in relation to just how busy the

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Speaker 1: hospital is.

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Speaker 2: Well, to be fair, I've just come back from leave,

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Speaker 2: so i haven't been hearing a lot of information on

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Speaker 2: the ground, to be frank, but i'd imagine again that

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Speaker 2: there's the usual issues. I mean, there's also staffing issues.

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Speaker 2: Apparently it's been there's a significant shortage of staff Australia wide,

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Speaker 2: so it's getting increasingly difficult to recruit vacancies and staff.

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Speaker 2: And I know the NT recently seen a couple of

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Speaker 2: people over to the UK to see if they could

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Speaker 2: improve the staffing health staffing, but it does take quite

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Speaker 2: a while for people to come up come from overseas

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Speaker 2: to get registered and whatever so all that doesn't help. Yeah,

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Speaker 2: so it all adds to the problems.

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Speaker 1: Rob, Do we have any ideas sort of how many

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Speaker 1: staff short we are at this point or not?

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Speaker 2: Really? Unfortunately, I can't give you an idea of that, Katie.

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Speaker 2: I'd like to, sorry, but I haven't got any actual data.

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Speaker 2: But I'm aware in my area and also in other

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Speaker 2: areas of significant difficult as recruiting to medical nursing stuff.

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Speaker 2: I mean, one of the factors also has been the

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Speaker 2: e BA and the delayed of the Medical Office of

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Speaker 2: eb A. I mean, I think everyone's aware there we

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Speaker 2: are a couple of surgeons down, We've got about three

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Speaker 2: or four more surgeons who need to be recruited to

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Speaker 2: keep our operating lists going and to keep to make

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Speaker 2: sure our operatimists don't get extended. All of that's an

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Speaker 2: issue as well.

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Speaker 1: Now tell me how much pressure is there on the

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Speaker 1: hospital system right now? Obviously this isn't just Royal Darwin

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Speaker 1: Hospital but also the Palmerston Hospital. How much pressure is

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Speaker 1: there and how much you know, are the staff facing.

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Speaker 1: Does the code yellow sort of help in some ways

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Speaker 1: or you know, what does it mean for all the

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Speaker 1: staff and everybody out there?

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Speaker 2: The code yellow is like a formal announcement that allows

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Speaker 2: the hospital delay or reallocate resources to deal with the situation.

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Speaker 2: So it's like a formal announcement that the hospital's isn't

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Speaker 2: overloaded and it allows hospital managers to reallocate resources. And

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Speaker 2: you know, I understand they're trying to keep the operating

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Speaker 2: lisk going in this case, but they're looking at maybe

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Speaker 2: using more resources in Catherine Gave where they can, and

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Speaker 2: using more community based care where that's available. Having a

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Speaker 2: high level of clinical authority for admissions so that I

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Speaker 2: think consultants have going to be involved in all admissions,

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Speaker 2: so that you know there's a high level of clup

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Speaker 2: of expertise to look at other potentially other solutions apart

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Speaker 2: from thatdding to current existing bed pressure.

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Speaker 1: So from a patient's point of view, what impact do

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Speaker 1: you think that this code yellow is going to have

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Speaker 1: at this point in time.

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Speaker 2: Well, the hospital will always be open and people who

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Speaker 2: need the care will always get it, you know. But

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Speaker 2: I suppose the other issue is people quite often people

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Speaker 2: turn up with a range of issues to hospital and

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Speaker 2: some things can be managed better away from hospital or

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Speaker 2: with a lower level of care, or potentially in one

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Speaker 2: of the rural areas rather than transferred tod for care.

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Speaker 2: So that's what the hospital's trying to do at the moment.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, and Rob just tell us as well, do you

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Speaker 1: know whether elective surgeries and that kind of thing have

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Speaker 1: been impacted at this point.

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Speaker 2: My understanding is they're trying to keep elective surgery going,

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Speaker 2: so that you know, in the past there's been issues

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Speaker 2: with shutting down the elective lists, but my understanding is

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Speaker 2: they're trying to keep the elected surgery going. They've had

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Speaker 2: problems when the Commone was now finding the mt but

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Speaker 2: not keeping elected surgery going, so I think it's one

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Speaker 2: of the reasons they want to keep it going. But

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Speaker 2: also people are you know at this point being pointed out,

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Speaker 2: elected surgery can often lead to delay issues, complication issues.

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Speaker 2: It certainly doesn't help people who are in significant distress

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Speaker 2: from their ongoing medical condition, So it's very good that

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Speaker 2: the hospital is continuing to keep elected surgery going.

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Speaker 1: Did you just say that the Commonwealth will find them

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Speaker 1: if they can't keep keep the elected surgeries going.

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Speaker 2: Yep, yep. The comment there is part of the state

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Speaker 2: federal funding agreements with it, right, you give the cash

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Speaker 2: splash but if the hospitals aren't keeping up to their

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Speaker 2: KPIs in the hospital and the fans can withdraw some money,

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Speaker 2: it's all part of the agreement. Aparently.

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Speaker 1: There you go, now, doctor Parker, just tell us from

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Speaker 1: your perspective. I know that staffing has been something that

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Speaker 1: you and I have spoken about on so many occasions

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Speaker 1: as we have you know, needs based funding. But what

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Speaker 1: needs to happen here to really avoid the whole hospital

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Speaker 1: being at the situation that they're at where it's full capacity.

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Speaker 2: Well, again, I think we need to be able to

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Speaker 2: have again we need to have more age care bids

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Speaker 2: and then the i IS support so that people aren't

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Speaker 2: blocking beds. And understanding is up to twenty percent currently

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Speaker 2: of URDH bids being held by individuals who need age

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Speaker 2: care or in the i IS, so those bids can

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Speaker 2: have then potentially be available for people who need more

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Speaker 2: urgent care. And that's sort of it's again more of

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Speaker 2: a Commonwealth funding issue and respect to age care and

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Speaker 2: the Indias. And again we're really hoping that the government

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Speaker 2: can come up with a solution to the real crisis

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Speaker 2: in primary care at the moment so that people can

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Speaker 2: have ongoing care for their chronic conditions. They don't well,

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Speaker 2: they don't need to come to hospital as complications which

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Speaker 2: can often you know, also occupy hospital beds, so both

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Speaker 2: you know, it's a complex situation that that was. You know,

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Speaker 2: I keep on referring to my levels of Minister hamp

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Speaker 2: In twenty nineteen. Yeah, this situation is still there, if

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Speaker 2: not more exacerbated by current situations.

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Speaker 1: Well, doctor Robert Parker, I always appreciate your time. Thank

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Speaker 1: you very much for coming on the show this morning

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Speaker 1: and just letting us know a little bit more about

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Speaker 1: this situation with the code yellow.

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Speaker 2: Okay, thanks for that, Ka, thank you.

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Speaker 1: Thanks