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Speaker 1: The Northern Territory government have though indeed said that they've

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Speaker 1: got some certainty for expectant mums, announcing the mcure Darwin

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Speaker 1: Airport Resort is going to provide a luxury post natal

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Speaker 1: maternity retreat from June one for women who were to

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Speaker 1: give birth at the Darwin Private Hospital. Now privately insured

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Speaker 1: expectant parents are going to be able to stay at

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Speaker 1: the hotel in the Deluxe King Suite for up to

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Speaker 1: four nights after giving birth in Royal Darwin Hospital. Forty

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Speaker 1: five expectant families are well expected to be affected by

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Speaker 1: the closure of the private maternity services at Darwin Private

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Speaker 1: Hospital from June six. Now joining me on the show

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Speaker 1: is Steve Edgington, the Minister for Health. Good morning to

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Speaker 1: your minister.

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Speaker 2: Good morning Cody, Good morning to the listeners.

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Speaker 1: Now, Minister, the announcement of the Macure Airport Resort, it proves,

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Speaker 1: will it provide some certainty to expectant mums. Can you

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Speaker 1: talk our listeners through what care is going to be

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Speaker 1: provided at the hospital to those mums.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, so the care being provided at the hospital too.

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Speaker 2: Every mother that arrives at the hospital. We provide a

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Speaker 2: very good maternity service at the Royal Day and Hospital.

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Speaker 2: Nothing has changed. We've got excellent midwives, obstetricians, nurses and

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Speaker 2: doctors at the Royal Day and Hospital. So the birthing

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Speaker 2: at the Darwen Public Hospital, i should say, will be

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Speaker 2: as is all the time. But for those that have

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Speaker 2: private healthcare insurance, what we are offering, as we've spoken

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Speaker 2: about on different occasions, and we're now able to confirm

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Speaker 2: that we've short up a contract with the mcure Darwin

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Speaker 2: Airport Resorts so that those mothers that are able to

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Speaker 2: leave the Royal Day and Hospital can go to that

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Speaker 2: luxury retreat and spend four nights in there.

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Speaker 1: Yeah. Sorry, So my question though was what care will

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Speaker 1: then be provided at the hotel?

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Speaker 2: Oh sorry sorry yeah, so yeah, at the hotel, what

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Speaker 2: we do have is the domicillary midwife, so that ongoing

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Speaker 2: care will be provided by our midwives that will provide

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Speaker 2: a visiting service to the MKURE Darwin Airport Resort.

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Speaker 1: And will that also mean a twenty four hour phone

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Speaker 1: support for women as well? Like that on that phone line.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, so those midwives whilst they'll be doing some planned

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Speaker 2: visits to the hotel, there will certainly be availability to

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Speaker 2: make those phone calls. If the mother has any concerns

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Speaker 2: at all, there'll be the ability to make those phone

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Speaker 2: calls to seek the information that's needed or seek the

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Speaker 2: support that they need.

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Speaker 1: Okay, because that is something that a few mums have

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Speaker 1: already been in contact questioning if they are there is

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Speaker 1: going to be a nurse who is on call twenty

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Speaker 1: four to seven for that hotel stay.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, So that'll be provided through the domosary midwives. But

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Speaker 2: what we are doing is trying to shore up a

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Speaker 2: private midwife service. We haven't been able to secure those

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Speaker 2: arrangements at the moment, so we provide through the NT

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Speaker 2: health system Domosserily midwives. That this happens every day of

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Speaker 2: the week. We have midwives visiting mothers at various locations

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Speaker 2: up here in the top end.

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Speaker 1: But so that'll be provided through a private a private

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Speaker 1: service which you are still going through the process of

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Speaker 1: locking in. How when do you expect that that service

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Speaker 1: is going to be locked in?

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Speaker 2: Well, that service is locked in, So we'll be providing

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Speaker 2: the domosiri midwives. But in regard to a press so

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Speaker 2: they'll be.

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Speaker 1: So sorry, will the dom sillary midwives be through the

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Speaker 1: hospital or are you doing that through a private service.

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Speaker 2: No that domosarily midwives will be through our further Royal

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Speaker 2: Day and Hospital. What we are working on in the

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Speaker 2: background is to try and shure up a contract so

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Speaker 2: that we have private midwives available. All of these arrangements

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Speaker 2: have been agreed to by the health insurers, so look,

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Speaker 2: we're ready to move forward. We want to certainty and

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Speaker 2: security for not only expectant mothers but those post natal

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Speaker 2: servicesible as well. So we're very pleased with the way

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Speaker 2: things have moved, Minister.

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Speaker 1: In terms of you know, one of the questions I

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Speaker 1: continue to get in terms of those women who have

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Speaker 1: to have a cesarean or a high risk birth for them,

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Speaker 1: apart from you know, from what are they what's going

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Speaker 1: to be the options for them? Really they are going

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Speaker 1: to have to stay in Royal Day and Hospital, aren't they,

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Speaker 1: because they're not going to be in a situation where

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Speaker 1: they can then go to a hotel.

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Speaker 2: That's exactly right. And you know, this morning I had

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Speaker 2: the director of Nursing in mid We're Free with me

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Speaker 2: during our press conference, Emma, and she explained that quite comprehensively, look,

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Speaker 2: these things that occur at various times in the Royal

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Speaker 2: DA and Hospital. We've got the very best staff. We've

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Speaker 2: got excellent midwives, excellent obstetricians. C sections happen at the

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Speaker 2: Royal da And Hospital all the time. But yes, yes,

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Speaker 2: the private hospital will not be available. That have a

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Speaker 2: C section and are required to remain will be in

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Speaker 2: the Ryal down in Hospital.

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Speaker 1: Well yeah, I guess what those mums are sort of

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Speaker 1: questioning is for the amount that they're then paying in

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Speaker 1: private funding, you know, to then be sort of staying

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Speaker 1: at the public hospital. That's what they're questioning. What that

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Speaker 1: money is sort of going towards.

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Speaker 2: I guess, well, you know, these are questions for the

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Speaker 2: private health insurers, these are questions for health Scope. You've

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Speaker 2: got to remember that this is health Scope pulling out

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Speaker 2: of this service. We're stepping in and doing everything that

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Speaker 2: we can from a public system. But what we have

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Speaker 2: done over and above is gone out and spoken with

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Speaker 2: the insurers to make sure that those two options are available.

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Speaker 2: What we haven't been able to do is the work

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Speaker 2: that those insurers and Healthscope should be doing is to

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Speaker 2: provide those others.

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Speaker 1: And unfortunately, I think the likelihood of them doing that

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Speaker 1: is probably pretty low. I mean, more broadly, nationally, at

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Speaker 1: the moment, it's being reported that health Scope, well it's

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Speaker 1: Healthscope's board this week have effectively pleaded for bankers to

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Speaker 1: take control of the hospitals, allowing its Brookfield backed directors

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Speaker 1: to walk away. I mean it's a soft administration, I

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Speaker 1: guess you might say of sorts removing the tougher intervention

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Speaker 1: or the prospect of banks sort of installing receivers. But

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Speaker 1: are we at a risk heer of health Scope going

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Speaker 1: bust entirely and the whole hospital being in jeopardy.

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Speaker 2: Look, we haven't had that information, but I've certainly heard

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Speaker 2: of the change of the board that's certainly been raised,

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Speaker 2: and certainly Anty Health is monitoring the situation as we speak.

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Speaker 2: So we've had no indication at all from Healthscope that

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Speaker 2: they intend to close any additional services here in Darwin.

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Speaker 2: But what we are doing in regard to trying to

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Speaker 2: improve that stay at the Royal Dalen Hospital is I

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Speaker 2: think I've previously mentioned We've had ongoing conversations with the

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Speaker 2: Federal Health Department, and I've also written to Minister Mark

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Speaker 2: Butler and also rang him again yesterday to just to

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Speaker 2: follow through. We've put a letter to the federal government

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Speaker 2: to ask for thirty five million dollars to try and

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Speaker 2: improve the maternity ward here in Darwin So.

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Speaker 1: Mentioned that on the show last week. Has there been

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Speaker 1: any updates in that space?

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Speaker 2: No, there hasn't you know. The federal government has been

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Speaker 2: in caretaker mode. Minister Butler has now been sworn in

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Speaker 2: as the Minister. I've had a further conversation with him

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Speaker 2: yesterday and he is looking into that particular matter as

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Speaker 2: we speak.

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Speaker 1: Minister. There's quite a few messages coming through saying Katie

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Speaker 1: NT Health have confirmed that there will not be a

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Speaker 1: twenty four hours twenty four to seven phone service by

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Speaker 1: midwives until that private midwife service is signed up. We've

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Speaker 1: been told it will be to call you GP or

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Speaker 1: presenting to ED in the meantime and in between those

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Speaker 1: scheduled visits. What is your response to that.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, Look, my understanding is that that phone service will

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Speaker 2: be available. But what I can say is that we

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Speaker 2: will be having some information section sessions, I should say,

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Speaker 2: from Monday next week and also Thursday, the twenty second

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Speaker 2: of May. So I would encourage all expectant mothers to

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Speaker 2: come along. This will be an open session, an opportunity

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Speaker 2: to visit the airport resort. But also I'll be there,

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Speaker 2: We'll have all the experts there so that we can

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Speaker 2: work through all of these issues.

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Speaker 1: But excellent.

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Speaker 2: My understanding is that that domicillary midwife service will be

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Speaker 2: available and they should that there will be an opportunity

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Speaker 2: if something happens to make that phone call.

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Speaker 1: Okay. In terms of the other private option, including a

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Speaker 1: luxury like the you know obviously you've got the luxury

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Speaker 1: post notal maternity retreat or the return home Sooner package,

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Speaker 1: where's the return Home Sooner package?

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Speaker 2: Act? Well, the return Home Sooner packages is in place. Again,

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Speaker 2: we have the domicillary midwives available and they'll be working

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Speaker 2: with those mothers once they return home.

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Speaker 1: Okay, what's the situation with private obstetricians? Are they all

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Speaker 1: staying on?

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Speaker 2: I don't have that information in front of me at

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Speaker 2: the moment, Katie, but those options are there for those obstetricians.

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Speaker 2: I'm not right across exactly what conversations have been had

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Speaker 2: with NT health and those obsttricians. They're the operational issues

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Speaker 2: that are going on in the background. So I don't

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Speaker 2: have that information in front of me. But my understanding

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Speaker 2: is that anti health has ongoing conversations with the midwives

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Speaker 2: and the obstetricians that work at the dhen Private Hospital.

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Speaker 1: All right, Minister, in terms of those midwives that are

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Speaker 1: working at the dah And Private Hospital, they're getting in

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Speaker 1: contact with me and I know that you are not

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Speaker 1: health Scope. I know it's a difficult juggle. But they

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Speaker 1: say that health Scope are refusing to pay midwives redundancies.

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Speaker 2: I think I saw that in the media, and of

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Speaker 2: course it's very disappointing to hear that. If that, if

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Speaker 2: that's what's happening with Healthscope at the moment. Obviously there's laws,

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Speaker 2: there's fair work, all of those sorts of things, but

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Speaker 2: that's very disappointing to hear. And I would encourage Healthscope

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Speaker 2: to work closely with those midwives. It's Hellscope that's decided

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Speaker 2: to close down the maternity I guess the.

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Speaker 1: Tough thing is, you know, the tough thing is at

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Speaker 1: the moment is reaching out to health Scope is probably

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Speaker 1: like yelling into the wind. You know, if they're if

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Speaker 1: they're facing all the issues that they're reportedly facing, it's

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Speaker 1: going to be a tough one. And I and I

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Speaker 1: sort of wonder whether you know, there is a bit

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Speaker 1: of a duty of care to those Northern Territory midwives.

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Speaker 1: And I know it's not into Health's fault. I absolutely

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Speaker 1: understand that, nor the Minister nor you know, like it's

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Speaker 1: it's it is something that you guys are having to

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Speaker 1: now sort of pick up the slack on. But but

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Speaker 1: you know, we've got these Northern Territory midwives who are

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Speaker 1: potentially in a situation if they've worked in the NT

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Speaker 1: for a long period of time, not getting those redundancy payouts.

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Speaker 1: It just seems really Unaustralia.

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Speaker 2: Totally agree, totally agree, Katie, this is absolutely UnAustralian. But

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Speaker 2: what I would say from a government perspective is that yes,

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Speaker 2: Hellscope has obligations and they should meet all of those

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Speaker 2: obligations through an NT health perspective. Our ongoing conversations with

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Speaker 2: the obstetricians and the midwives. If there is something that

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Speaker 2: our department can do to help, I'm sure that they

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Speaker 2: will do that.

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Speaker 1: All right, Minister. I know your press for time, as

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Speaker 1: are we, but we had doctor Robert Parker, the head

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Speaker 1: of the AMA, on the show yesterday talking about the

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Speaker 1: pressures that Royal dah and Hospital are under take a.

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Speaker 3: Listen, the constant pressure on you and I've talked about

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Speaker 3: over a number of years. It hasn't gone away. I

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Speaker 3: suppose the extra funding your health, extra money in the

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Speaker 3: primary well hopefully alleviate by stopping preventable admissions or alleviate pressure.

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Speaker 1: Do you reckon we're still having those code yellows, but

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Speaker 1: not publicly saying it.

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Speaker 3: We were not allowed to call them, as my understand.

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Speaker 1: Really, so has that been a directive from your understanding?

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Speaker 3: From the understanding my understanding, there's been certain pressures not

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Speaker 3: to call code yellows when we've actually had a situation

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Speaker 3: which requires a code yellow.

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Speaker 1: Minister, is that the case has the department or has

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Speaker 1: has the hospital been advised not to call code yellows?

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Speaker 2: Certainly not. And I reject anything that Rob Parker has

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Speaker 2: said in regard to any directions regarding code yellows, and

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Speaker 2: I'll repeat that, we reject any suggestion that that is happening.

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Speaker 2: What I do know is, Katie, is that we have

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Speaker 2: a new CEO managing into your health. And what I

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Speaker 2: do know is that when emergency is under pressure, they

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Speaker 2: have what's called a huddle. Every morning. We have the

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Speaker 2: CEO that attends those we have seen staff that attends

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Speaker 2: those meeting in the morning, that's the opportunity for all

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Speaker 2: of those staff to sit down together and work together

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Speaker 2: and ensure that adequate resources are allocated to the ongoing

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Speaker 2: pressures in the emergency or so.

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Speaker 1: Has there been any instance in recent weeks where the

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Speaker 1: hospital has been at capacity and the emergency department has

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Speaker 1: had to inact measures to deal with that.

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Speaker 2: This happens regularly, Katie, There's always well, I shouldn't say regularly,

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Speaker 2: but I roughly about two weeks ago, I certainly had

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Speaker 2: a conversation with the CEO who rang me to inform

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Speaker 2: me that there was pressures in the emergency area at

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Speaker 2: the Royal Dalen Hospital. He does that on a regular basis,

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Speaker 2: gives me updates there's additional pressures, they're working through it,

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Speaker 2: and in fact, there has been occasions where he's told me, look,

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Speaker 2: we might have to call a codeyell and I said, well,

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Speaker 2: look that's the matter for you as the CEO of

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Speaker 2: the Department of Health. Let me know what's going on.

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Speaker 2: I've been what I've been reassured is by the CEO

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Speaker 2: that those meetings and the huddles that they're having when

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Speaker 2: there are pressures in the emergency area, they've been able

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Speaker 2: to cope with the workload that's going on.

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Speaker 1: So from what you are saying, despite the fact that

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Speaker 1: there has been you know that we've been at capacity,

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Speaker 1: and that there's obviously been situations where he's calling you

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Speaker 1: to let you know that they are absolutely at capacity,

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Speaker 1: no need for a cold yellow.

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Speaker 2: I wouldn't go as far as saying absolutely at capacity.

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Speaker 2: I get informed when there is additional pressure on the

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Speaker 2: emergency area. I get constant updates to let me know

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Speaker 2: what's going on. I've been reassured by the CEO that

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Speaker 2: those huddles in the mornings where there is additional pressure

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Speaker 2: have made a huge difference to dealing with the issues

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Speaker 2: there and then on the spot without a need to

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Speaker 2: call a code yellow.

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Speaker 1: So are you saying that the AMA, the head of

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Speaker 1: the AMA obviously the Australian Medical Association's Northern Territory branch, that.

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Speaker 2: He's in correct If he's saying there's been instructions given

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Speaker 2: to not call a code yellow, Yes, I am saying

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Speaker 2: he is incorrect.

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Speaker 1: Well, Minister for Health, Steve Edgington as always appreciate your time.

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Speaker 1: I know it's a busy morning and you've got to

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Speaker 1: get to Parliament. Thank you so much for joining us

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Speaker 1: this morning.

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Speaker 2: Thank you, Katie, and good morning to all the listeners.

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Speaker 1: Thank you