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Speaker 1: In recent weeks, we've spoken extensively to territory women who

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Speaker 1: are seriously concerned about the ending of private maternity services

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Speaker 1: at Darwin Private Hospital. Now, the Darwin Private Hospital announced

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Speaker 1: the closure of its maternity ward by June sixth this year.

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Speaker 1: The organizers of a petition opposing the closure say this

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Speaker 1: decision made by private operator health Scope is going to

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Speaker 1: leave expectant mothers and families across the Northern Territory without

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Speaker 1: a choice of how they can access maternity care.

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Speaker 2: Now.

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Speaker 1: They say it is more than a health care shift,

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Speaker 1: it's a blow to women's rights, family planning and the

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Speaker 1: future of Darwin as a liveable city. The head of

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Speaker 1: the Nursing and Midwiffree Federation of the Northern Territory, cath Hatcher,

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Speaker 1: joins me on the line.

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Speaker 2: Good morning, Cath Michae, Good morning Katie.

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Speaker 1: Kathie's services the Darwin Private Hospital is set to end

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Speaker 1: in June. What are nurses and midwife saying to you

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Speaker 1: as that date edges clos up.

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Speaker 2: Well, the nurses and midwives that are working at the

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Speaker 2: private hospital, they're very still concerned because they're not getting

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Speaker 2: much feedback from their employer. And we've been in constant

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Speaker 2: contact via email and if we haven't been to some

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Speaker 2: members then excuse me, my phone's going. Then we haven't

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Speaker 2: gone slack. And we are working behind the scenes and

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Speaker 2: talking to the employer at health Scope and trying to

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Speaker 2: get the best deal for them no matter what they

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Speaker 2: wish to do with their employments.

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Speaker 1: So cat have nurses from the private hospital got jobs

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Speaker 1: to go to at Royal Darwin or are they looking

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Speaker 1: to get payouts? I would imagine everybody's situation is probably

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Speaker 1: a bit different.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, the direct entry midwives, they can't be re employed

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Speaker 2: at the health Scope Darwin Private because they're midwife registration

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Speaker 2: only and they're not a nurse, so they need to

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Speaker 2: work in a facility that's midwid free based, so they

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Speaker 2: could work in the Department of Health or Royal Darwin Hospital.

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Speaker 2: But I do know that at least three out of

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Speaker 2: the four direct entries are going to go across and

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Speaker 2: work at Royal Darwin Hospital. And the others that are

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Speaker 2: nurses as well as midwives, they're dual registered. There's a

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Speaker 2: mix there. There's some that are going to early retire,

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Speaker 2: some are going to take redeployment within Darwin Private, and

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Speaker 2: some others that haven't made their mind done.

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Speaker 1: I can't yet how many nurses and midwives are we

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Speaker 1: tall here?

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Speaker 2: About fourteen all up?

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Speaker 1: I think so about fourteen now in terms of them.

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Speaker 1: The impact of the private wards closure that it's going

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Speaker 1: to have on the public hospital, how great do you

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Speaker 1: think that's going to be? Well?

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Speaker 2: The NT government is saying it's all going to be

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Speaker 2: fine and Royal DA and be able to cope with

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Speaker 2: the extra you know, two hundred and eighty ish women

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Speaker 2: and babies, and I call out that, no, I don't

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Speaker 2: think that they're going to be able to cope and

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Speaker 2: lap that up within current services. They're going to need

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Speaker 2: some more midwives, they may potentially need another obstetric registrar

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Speaker 2: or obstetrician. They might need to do some internal infrastructure,

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Speaker 2: and I feel that they need some more money. So

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Speaker 2: I called on the local government before the federal government

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Speaker 2: went in to caretaker mode and asked them to call

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Speaker 2: on the federal government for money to support extra money

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Speaker 2: from the federal government to support Royal dh in hospital.

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Speaker 1: How much do you reckon they need cats?

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Speaker 2: I don't know, but it would be interesting. I mean,

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Speaker 2: we know that six million has been given to the

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Speaker 2: Hobart Calvary Private or between the public and the Calvary

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Speaker 2: Private down in Hobart for the closure of the Health

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Speaker 2: Hobart Private hospital that is going to close in August.

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Speaker 2: That was given by the federal government a couple of

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Speaker 2: months ago. So I've been pushing this government. They said, no,

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Speaker 2: they haven't asked. There's no money from our local government

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Speaker 2: and they haven't asked the federal government. And then I

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Speaker 2: couldn't do much more pushing within the caretaker mode. But

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Speaker 2: I did speak to Luke Goffling and he said, oh,

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Speaker 2: we're just the federal government are waiting for the local

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Speaker 2: government to ask the money.

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Speaker 1: Well there, Well, look I've got the Health Minister on tomorrow,

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Speaker 1: so we are certainly going to ask that. I guess

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Speaker 1: in a real practical sense, so I can wrap my

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Speaker 1: head around it as WELLCAF like in terms of where

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Speaker 1: to from here without that federal funding, without some additional

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Speaker 1: funding to cover the increase of patients that we're going

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Speaker 1: to see needing maternity services at Royal dah And Hospital,

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Speaker 1: you know, like, if we're not able to get that funding,

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Speaker 1: what kind of impact do you think that's going to have.

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Speaker 2: Before I answer that question, I'll just say that I

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Speaker 2: wrote to the Health Minister again yesterday just stipulating now's

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Speaker 2: a good time. The federal government have been re elected

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Speaker 2: and let's get on and ask the federal government for money.

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Speaker 2: But hopefully they are going to pursue that if there

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Speaker 2: is no money given to all Darwin. I you know,

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Speaker 2: the midwives there are so awesome. They will do their

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Speaker 2: absolute best to give the best possible care to all

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Speaker 2: women and the babies. Whether you know they've they've got

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Speaker 2: extra women coming from the private or not. They will

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Speaker 2: do that. But yes, the public are right and I've

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Speaker 2: been hearing women on the radio they are short stuff.

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Speaker 2: However they will They have been advertising, the government and

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Speaker 2: well the Department of Health, I should say, they have

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Speaker 2: been advertising. They're trying to get people to come and

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Speaker 2: work in the territory. And it is the better time

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Speaker 2: of year because people do come and work in the

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Speaker 2: in the Darwin because it's lovely, but then unfortunately they

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Speaker 2: go again, you're not October. But the department will make

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Speaker 2: sure that every shift, if there is positions that need

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Speaker 2: fillings for that shift, they will do so. Whether it

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Speaker 2: be from the casual or the pool staff or agency.

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Speaker 2: They will feel they will have midwives on the floor.

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Speaker 2: The trouble right across Australia at the moment is there's

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Speaker 2: a very skill unbalanced with mix of midwives. So we've

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Speaker 2: got a high proportion of graduate and novice midwives. Now,

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Speaker 2: not to say that they aren't brilliant, they are brilliant,

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Speaker 2: but they do need that back up and support of

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Speaker 2: the experience like any job. Absolutely.

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Speaker 1: Can I ask you in terms of we had been

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Speaker 1: told by the Northern Territory government that there would be

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Speaker 1: sort of resort style accommodation or you know, different different

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Speaker 1: rooms available at a hotel, well for you know that

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Speaker 1: was going to be an option for expectant mums. Are

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Speaker 1: you aware if that is still the case, because I

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Speaker 1: know that doctor Robert Parker had said in the paper

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Speaker 1: yesterday that it may not be.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I did read that and I haven't heard myself

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Speaker 2: from within the office from outside. But whether it's going

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Speaker 2: to go ahead or not, it is up to the

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Speaker 2: Women's Private Health Insurance to get that cover through their insurance,

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Speaker 2: so I don't have to pay anything out of pocket.

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Speaker 2: And if they do have a resort style or they

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Speaker 2: go to some sort of hotel instead of going home

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Speaker 2: for a few days or a week, whatever they feel

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Speaker 2: they need. They will have that support of the domicillary

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Speaker 2: midwife service which comes from Ryal Dalhen Hospital. They will

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Speaker 2: see them as soon as they're discharged to home or

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Speaker 2: to a hotel or to family within Darwin. They will

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Speaker 2: have a daily visit, a visit the next day, and

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Speaker 2: if they are a second or third time mum, they

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Speaker 2: might not get a visit every day. They might have

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Speaker 2: a visit every second day. With phone call. They will

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Speaker 2: be given a number to call if they need to

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Speaker 2: for during the day and then a different phone number

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Speaker 2: to ring during the after hours service if they need support,

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Speaker 2: so that they will have that support there, cav can.

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Speaker 1: You tell me? And I don't know whether you know

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Speaker 1: or not, but one of the concerns that's also been

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Speaker 1: flagged with me is that for you know, for women

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Speaker 1: being cared for through their private health insurer who have

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Speaker 1: an obstetrician that would usually deliver their baby in the

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Speaker 1: private hospital, is that still going to be able to

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Speaker 1: happen through the public hospital. Because I know when I

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Speaker 1: birth my children at the public hospital, it's not a

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Speaker 1: matter of their you know, I don't know whether whether

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Speaker 1: a private obstetrician can then come in and and use

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Speaker 1: that delivery suite or use the surgery if you need

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Speaker 1: to have a cesarean or whatever may happen. Do you

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Speaker 1: have any clarity on that space.

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Speaker 2: That is possible, but I would the women would need

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Speaker 2: to speak to the midwives and the doctors when they

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Speaker 2: go through their antenatal care and ask that question. Some

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Speaker 2: of the doctors or obstetricians may be able to provide

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Speaker 2: that service a private patient within a public hospital, but

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Speaker 2: generally the midwives, even in the private hospital, the midwives

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Speaker 2: are the ones that care for the majority of their

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Speaker 2: time through their labor. Then they call the obstetrician in

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Speaker 2: you know, half an hour an hour before their imminent birth,

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Speaker 2: and then the obstetrician takes over. So that could happen

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Speaker 2: as the same within the public sector, but the woman

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Speaker 2: would need to speak to the obsnitrition that they're under

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Speaker 2: at the time.

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Speaker 1: Kath a quick listener comment, I guess this person said

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Speaker 1: they'd like to stay anonymous, please, but they've said Hallway

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Speaker 1: births as recent as two weeks ago at Royal Dah

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Speaker 1: and hospital scans having to be sourced from Catherine. Thank you,

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Speaker 1: Kav for being honest and ending the Northern Territory government

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Speaker 1: gas lighting that Royal dah And Hospital is equipped to

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Speaker 1: absorb these extra births easily. I mean, is that the

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Speaker 1: case people having their babies or are women having their

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Speaker 1: babies in the hallways?

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Speaker 2: I did hear that too, but I haven't had confirmation

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Speaker 2: if that was correct or not my nineteen years of

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Speaker 2: working as a midwife at Royal Dahen Hospital. Yes, we

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Speaker 2: have had the occasional person deliver their baby in the

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Speaker 2: maternity ward and not in the birth unit or the

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Speaker 2: delivery suite because all rooms have been full and tied

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Speaker 2: with other laboring or birthing mothers and the best place

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Speaker 2: is back on the maternity ward that they can be

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Speaker 2: cared for there. I'm quite surprised that possibly a mother

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Speaker 2: gave birth in the corridor, unless she was waiting to

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Speaker 2: go over to delivery suite and all of a sudden

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Speaker 2: baby came and there was no time to put her

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Speaker 2: into a room. But it's not common, but it does happen.

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Speaker 2: I don't know about the corridor, yeah thing, but occasionally

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Speaker 2: it happens in a room on the ward and.

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Speaker 1: Kas what about I mean, we know that quite a

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Speaker 1: while back. It was something that I covered extensively on

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Speaker 1: the show Women having to go to Catherine to get

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Speaker 1: those scans. Do you know if that is still the case.

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Speaker 2: No, I haven't heard anything about that at all. And yeah,

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Speaker 2: that's not very good. It's that what's happening.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, well, look we'll follow that up Kas before I

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Speaker 1: let you go. I mean, is there anything that you

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Speaker 1: really want me to be aware of before we do

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Speaker 1: catch up with the Health minister tomorrow. It does sound

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Speaker 1: as though that additional funding and the Northern Territory government

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Speaker 1: requesting that from the feeds is top of the priority list.

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Speaker 2: I think they just need to be brave and ask

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Speaker 2: the federal government for the money, you know, being the

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Speaker 2: our local government is liberal and the federal government is labor,

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Speaker 2: I think they need to think of the women and

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Speaker 2: the babies and families within Darwin and ask the question

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Speaker 2: and get the money.

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Speaker 1: Cath Hatcher, I always appreciate your time. Thank you very

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Speaker 1: much for having a chat with me this morning.

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Speaker 2: Thank you Katie, Thank you listeners.

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Speaker 1: Thanks so much,