1 00:00:00,800 --> 00:00:04,480 Speaker 1: Three sixty with Katie Wolf. Join the conversation with Katie Wolf. 2 00:00:04,600 --> 00:00:07,560 Speaker 1: You are our eyes and ears in the Territory Mixed 3 00:00:07,560 --> 00:00:08,800 Speaker 1: one oh four point nine. 4 00:00:09,039 --> 00:00:12,320 Speaker 2: Now joining us on the line the Australian Medical Association's 5 00:00:12,360 --> 00:00:14,640 Speaker 2: Northern Territory President, Doctor Robert Parker. 6 00:00:14,720 --> 00:00:16,200 Speaker 1: Good morning, Doctor Parker. 7 00:00:16,040 --> 00:00:16,599 Speaker 3: Morning Katy. 8 00:00:16,920 --> 00:00:18,680 Speaker 1: Now we haven't caught up for. 9 00:00:18,640 --> 00:00:20,880 Speaker 2: A few weeks, so I might firstly ask you from 10 00:00:20,920 --> 00:00:23,720 Speaker 2: your perspective, how are things going with the vaccine roll out? 11 00:00:24,800 --> 00:00:27,120 Speaker 3: Well, again, we're just guided by the national as you're 12 00:00:27,160 --> 00:00:30,880 Speaker 3: not again the whole issue with a Z the need 13 00:00:30,920 --> 00:00:32,760 Speaker 3: to make it for people for over fifty Now, I 14 00:00:32,840 --> 00:00:35,760 Speaker 3: presume that's having an influence on what's having in the 15 00:00:35,840 --> 00:00:39,320 Speaker 3: territory because of the temperature issues associated with pizer and 16 00:00:39,360 --> 00:00:43,200 Speaker 3: the need therefore have cold shane to the remote rural communities. 17 00:00:43,520 --> 00:00:46,320 Speaker 3: But I presume that the Health Department's working hard on 18 00:00:46,960 --> 00:00:50,599 Speaker 3: getting that organized so that all our vulnerable territorians are 19 00:00:50,600 --> 00:00:51,400 Speaker 3: properly you miniz. 20 00:00:51,800 --> 00:00:52,840 Speaker 1: Yeah, we will make sure. 21 00:00:53,200 --> 00:00:55,000 Speaker 2: A bit after ten o'clock this morning, we're going to 22 00:00:55,040 --> 00:00:58,160 Speaker 2: catch up with the Northern Territory Health Deputy Chief Executive, 23 00:00:58,200 --> 00:01:01,120 Speaker 2: the person in charge of that rollout, Michelle McKay and 24 00:01:01,120 --> 00:01:05,319 Speaker 2: we'll get a bit further detail, Dr Parker, from your perspective, 25 00:01:05,560 --> 00:01:09,240 Speaker 2: do you know anecdotally if there's been many cancelations or 26 00:01:09,280 --> 00:01:11,640 Speaker 2: anything like that as a result of the changes to 27 00:01:11,680 --> 00:01:13,000 Speaker 2: advice with the vaccine. 28 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:16,559 Speaker 3: Well, again, I've just kind up with my local GP 29 00:01:16,600 --> 00:01:18,399 Speaker 3: the other day. He did they having some problems with 30 00:01:19,200 --> 00:01:22,840 Speaker 3: not in a vaccine, turning out no vaccine, no patients whatever. 31 00:01:23,160 --> 00:01:25,440 Speaker 3: So that's the links for the general practice and it 32 00:01:25,520 --> 00:01:28,280 Speaker 3: is very difficult, you know, for general practice time is money, 33 00:01:28,319 --> 00:01:30,600 Speaker 3: so they if they've got appointments booked and they have 34 00:01:30,640 --> 00:01:33,600 Speaker 3: suddenly had to cancel them, that's no income for the GPS. 35 00:01:34,040 --> 00:01:37,679 Speaker 3: So that that coordination of the vaccine with the GP 36 00:01:38,560 --> 00:01:39,800 Speaker 3: support is very important. 37 00:01:40,520 --> 00:01:42,400 Speaker 2: Now, Dr Parker, I do want to just head out 38 00:01:42,480 --> 00:01:44,880 Speaker 2: and talk a little bit about the facility out at 39 00:01:44,880 --> 00:01:48,720 Speaker 2: Howard Springs, the Center for National Resilience. This morning, we 40 00:01:48,800 --> 00:01:51,680 Speaker 2: have just been notified that there's three new COVID nineteen 41 00:01:51,760 --> 00:01:54,760 Speaker 2: cases have been recorded in the Northern Territory for the 42 00:01:54,800 --> 00:01:56,040 Speaker 2: past twenty four hours. 43 00:01:56,320 --> 00:01:58,400 Speaker 1: It seems as though we are having a bit of 44 00:01:58,440 --> 00:01:58,840 Speaker 1: a spur. 45 00:01:58,960 --> 00:02:01,840 Speaker 2: I guess you'd say there at the moment twenty one 46 00:02:01,880 --> 00:02:05,360 Speaker 2: active cases. As I understand it, the OZMAT team, the 47 00:02:05,440 --> 00:02:08,800 Speaker 2: National Critical Care and Trauma Response Center team doing a 48 00:02:08,840 --> 00:02:13,639 Speaker 2: great job at managing things. But from May we were 49 00:02:13,760 --> 00:02:17,080 Speaker 2: due or certainly the timeline was given that that was 50 00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:21,079 Speaker 2: going to be when this handover would happen out at 51 00:02:21,200 --> 00:02:24,400 Speaker 2: Howard Springs. From the sound of things, though, after catching 52 00:02:24,480 --> 00:02:27,480 Speaker 2: up with the Health Minister Natasha Philes a little earlier 53 00:02:27,680 --> 00:02:32,079 Speaker 2: in the week, it sounds like the staffing issue out there, 54 00:02:32,360 --> 00:02:35,480 Speaker 2: or recruiting staff for out there, is going to be 55 00:02:35,480 --> 00:02:37,200 Speaker 2: a bit of a battle. Take a listen to what 56 00:02:37,240 --> 00:02:40,480 Speaker 2: she told us yesterday, O Katie. 57 00:02:40,480 --> 00:02:42,239 Speaker 4: I want to make it really clear that change will 58 00:02:42,280 --> 00:02:45,520 Speaker 4: only occur when OZMATT has the confidence that we have 59 00:02:45,600 --> 00:02:48,680 Speaker 4: all the clinical procedures in place to keep territory and safe. 60 00:02:48,760 --> 00:02:52,520 Speaker 2: There were plans to obviously recruit four hundred staff that 61 00:02:52,520 --> 00:02:54,440 Speaker 2: we're going to need to be attracted to fill those 62 00:02:54,560 --> 00:02:57,880 Speaker 2: roles once the change over happened. Where are you adding 63 00:02:58,000 --> 00:03:00,760 Speaker 2: terms of this recruitment. How many staff have now been recruited. 64 00:03:01,240 --> 00:03:03,080 Speaker 4: I don't have the latest figure, but when I was 65 00:03:03,320 --> 00:03:05,960 Speaker 4: at the facility a couple of weeks ago, around seventy 66 00:03:06,080 --> 00:03:08,880 Speaker 4: staff have already been recruited. Now some stuff are going 67 00:03:08,919 --> 00:03:12,640 Speaker 4: to come across from OSMA to MTG, but that recruitment 68 00:03:12,760 --> 00:03:15,520 Speaker 4: is going well for the facility, and like I said, 69 00:03:15,560 --> 00:03:18,400 Speaker 4: we won't to be changing from the OSMAT model to 70 00:03:18,639 --> 00:03:22,440 Speaker 4: NTG until we have absolute confidence that we have those 71 00:03:22,480 --> 00:03:25,280 Speaker 4: clinical processes and the plans in place, as well as 72 00:03:25,280 --> 00:03:27,919 Speaker 4: the staff to make sure that that can be executed. 73 00:03:28,800 --> 00:03:30,920 Speaker 2: Doctor Parker, do you think we're going to be able 74 00:03:30,960 --> 00:03:32,360 Speaker 2: to recruit those positions? 75 00:03:33,760 --> 00:03:36,640 Speaker 3: Again, I've got concerns, I suppose. Yeah, they're about the 76 00:03:36,640 --> 00:03:40,040 Speaker 3: ability to recruit the number of people required to run 77 00:03:40,080 --> 00:03:44,280 Speaker 3: the level of overseas repatriations that national cabinets are expecting. 78 00:03:44,840 --> 00:03:48,160 Speaker 3: And I suppose if we can't recruit, we can't get 79 00:03:48,160 --> 00:03:52,520 Speaker 3: those numbers back. And again the I understand a lot 80 00:03:52,600 --> 00:03:55,080 Speaker 3: of those individuals are from subcontinent where there's very large 81 00:03:55,520 --> 00:03:58,680 Speaker 3: rates of COVID at the moment in the subcontinent. So 82 00:03:58,880 --> 00:04:02,840 Speaker 3: I think you've got another further concern, But I presume, 83 00:04:02,880 --> 00:04:04,960 Speaker 3: again this will be guided by national cabinet. If we 84 00:04:05,040 --> 00:04:07,400 Speaker 3: haven't got the staff, then we'll have to cut back 85 00:04:07,400 --> 00:04:09,000 Speaker 3: on the expected numbers coming in. 86 00:04:09,280 --> 00:04:11,920 Speaker 2: Yeah, And I had asked the minister yesterday whether we 87 00:04:12,160 --> 00:04:13,800 Speaker 2: you know whether we are still going to see that 88 00:04:13,880 --> 00:04:17,039 Speaker 2: expanded number of flights, and she said that they were 89 00:04:17,040 --> 00:04:19,359 Speaker 2: going to happen over coming weeks. I mean, what do 90 00:04:19,360 --> 00:04:21,440 Speaker 2: you reckon needs to happen out there, doctor Parker. 91 00:04:22,680 --> 00:04:26,880 Speaker 3: Well, I just think National Care again, it's it's National 92 00:04:26,920 --> 00:04:30,720 Speaker 3: Cabinet rather than the territory, and I think National Cabinet 93 00:04:30,760 --> 00:04:32,880 Speaker 3: ought to put a brake on it. In a terrify 94 00:04:32,920 --> 00:04:35,119 Speaker 3: you ought to be reporting back to the national Cabinet saying, 95 00:04:35,400 --> 00:04:37,120 Speaker 3: you know, we've got this number of staff. The national 96 00:04:37,120 --> 00:04:39,400 Speaker 3: cabinets say, we'll hang on here. We'll have to restrict 97 00:04:39,440 --> 00:04:42,360 Speaker 3: it until your fully staffed and your your staff will 98 00:04:42,400 --> 00:04:44,839 Speaker 3: been trained appropriately by the OSMAT so that you've got 99 00:04:44,839 --> 00:04:47,880 Speaker 3: effective handover. We just don't have the people coming. 100 00:04:47,680 --> 00:04:49,360 Speaker 1: In now, doctor Parker. 101 00:04:49,400 --> 00:04:52,120 Speaker 2: I know that you know that that recruiting to that 102 00:04:52,320 --> 00:04:56,880 Speaker 2: center isn't our only concern. ABC News is reporting that 103 00:04:57,040 --> 00:05:00,719 Speaker 2: down in Catherine that emergency room doctors nurses in the 104 00:05:00,720 --> 00:05:03,800 Speaker 2: Northern Territory town of Catherine could be overseen by a 105 00:05:03,880 --> 00:05:06,440 Speaker 2: virtual specialist thousands of kilometers away. 106 00:05:06,880 --> 00:05:08,799 Speaker 1: The report says that. 107 00:05:08,320 --> 00:05:10,480 Speaker 2: That is as a result of a chronic shortfall in 108 00:05:10,600 --> 00:05:12,560 Speaker 2: physicians continues to. 109 00:05:12,480 --> 00:05:14,160 Speaker 1: Plague rural Australia. 110 00:05:14,360 --> 00:05:16,880 Speaker 2: Is it normal to be in a situation where we 111 00:05:16,920 --> 00:05:21,080 Speaker 2: may indeed have somebody overseeing or a virtual specialist managing 112 00:05:21,160 --> 00:05:22,839 Speaker 2: Catherine's emergency room. 113 00:05:23,720 --> 00:05:28,360 Speaker 3: Well, again, I'm not sure. The College of Emergency Medicine 114 00:05:28,400 --> 00:05:31,159 Speaker 3: is probably the expert about whether this is possible, whether 115 00:05:31,200 --> 00:05:34,719 Speaker 3: it happens in other parts of Australia. I mean video 116 00:05:35,040 --> 00:05:39,359 Speaker 3: in terms of supervision, video has its use, and particularly 117 00:05:39,360 --> 00:05:42,480 Speaker 3: in my especially psychiatry. Yes, you can talk to people 118 00:05:42,560 --> 00:05:47,040 Speaker 3: and do a middle state through video. However, you know 119 00:05:47,040 --> 00:05:50,240 Speaker 3: the problem is, when I was at medical school, it 120 00:05:50,279 --> 00:05:53,520 Speaker 3: was taught pretty wisely that with a diagnosis, seventy percent 121 00:05:53,920 --> 00:05:57,120 Speaker 3: is history, twenty five percent is physical examination, of five 122 00:05:57,160 --> 00:05:59,920 Speaker 3: percent is other which can be x rays, tests and whatever. 123 00:06:00,520 --> 00:06:04,000 Speaker 3: Now the problem is that you know, often to do 124 00:06:04,600 --> 00:06:08,800 Speaker 3: a comprehensive review of a patient, you actually need to 125 00:06:08,800 --> 00:06:11,440 Speaker 3: put hands on, stick a stethoscope on the chairs, to whatever, 126 00:06:11,880 --> 00:06:14,920 Speaker 3: you know, do whatever examinations required, and obviously you can't 127 00:06:14,960 --> 00:06:17,400 Speaker 3: do that by video. And I suppose that's my main 128 00:06:17,440 --> 00:06:21,359 Speaker 3: concern about so called video supervision. And I mean quite 129 00:06:21,360 --> 00:06:26,080 Speaker 3: often it's an experienced or whatever, so you might you know, 130 00:06:26,279 --> 00:06:30,280 Speaker 3: James like Hard Murmurs often whom experienced condition will pick 131 00:06:30,320 --> 00:06:32,400 Speaker 3: up what's a benign heart murmur as opposed to a 132 00:06:32,440 --> 00:06:36,440 Speaker 3: pathological heart murmur, and so using a junior doctor to 133 00:06:36,480 --> 00:06:39,760 Speaker 3: do that probably is enough for the standard we require. 134 00:06:40,040 --> 00:06:40,760 Speaker 1: Doctor Parker. 135 00:06:40,880 --> 00:06:43,280 Speaker 2: It does seem as though, I mean, we've spoken about 136 00:06:43,320 --> 00:06:46,160 Speaker 2: Catherine having some issues in terms of recruitment, even when 137 00:06:46,160 --> 00:06:49,120 Speaker 2: you talk about GPS in the past. But I'm sure 138 00:06:49,120 --> 00:06:51,120 Speaker 2: that they're not alone. Do we have a bit of 139 00:06:51,120 --> 00:06:53,680 Speaker 2: a shortage Australia white at the moment with our medical 140 00:06:53,720 --> 00:06:55,400 Speaker 2: professionals due to COVID. 141 00:06:56,360 --> 00:06:58,479 Speaker 3: Well, I mean COVID has impacted on that, but there's 142 00:06:58,520 --> 00:07:01,600 Speaker 3: always been an issue attracting people to the bush and 143 00:07:01,600 --> 00:07:04,840 Speaker 3: there's a whole range of historical factors that have impacted 144 00:07:04,839 --> 00:07:09,320 Speaker 3: on that. But unfortunately the bush people on the bush 145 00:07:10,520 --> 00:07:14,680 Speaker 3: and attraction factors seem to impact. I mean, one of 146 00:07:14,680 --> 00:07:17,960 Speaker 3: the you know, there's the issue that the medical equipment 147 00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:20,760 Speaker 3: of the bush tends to attract are the very young 148 00:07:20,840 --> 00:07:23,600 Speaker 3: or they're very old, so that people you know, who 149 00:07:23,600 --> 00:07:25,320 Speaker 3: didn't have a whole bunch of it was always the 150 00:07:25,360 --> 00:07:28,560 Speaker 3: mortgage to partner the kids who didn't have the mortgage, 151 00:07:28,560 --> 00:07:29,920 Speaker 3: the partner and the kids would go out wish to 152 00:07:30,560 --> 00:07:34,520 Speaker 3: sort of explore things and to develop a career. Unfortunately, 153 00:07:34,520 --> 00:07:37,200 Speaker 3: now with the changing nature of workforce, with a lot 154 00:07:37,240 --> 00:07:39,360 Speaker 3: more women in the workforce in medical workforce which is 155 00:07:39,800 --> 00:07:43,600 Speaker 3: excellent obviously, and an old, often more mature workforce, people 156 00:07:43,600 --> 00:07:47,360 Speaker 3: have often got mortgages, kids, career paths that don't necessarily 157 00:07:47,360 --> 00:07:49,680 Speaker 3: fit with that sort of early adventure moving out to 158 00:07:49,720 --> 00:07:54,040 Speaker 3: the bush to seek your early career. So unfortunately that's 159 00:07:54,040 --> 00:07:56,000 Speaker 3: probably having an impact on it. And also these issues 160 00:07:56,040 --> 00:07:59,080 Speaker 3: such as GP registrars, you know, career paths for GPE 161 00:07:59,160 --> 00:08:03,040 Speaker 3: registrars and whatever, which is also having an impact. So 162 00:08:03,080 --> 00:08:05,240 Speaker 3: there's a range of factors that are actually affecting real 163 00:08:05,240 --> 00:08:06,160 Speaker 3: workforce at the moment. 164 00:08:06,480 --> 00:08:08,560 Speaker 2: And doctor Parker, then when you sort of head into 165 00:08:08,600 --> 00:08:11,880 Speaker 2: the town centers, into locations like Darwin and look at 166 00:08:11,880 --> 00:08:15,120 Speaker 2: hospitals like Royal Darwin Hospital, how are things going for 167 00:08:15,320 --> 00:08:19,840 Speaker 2: us in terms of the numbers and staff at those facilities. 168 00:08:21,040 --> 00:08:26,920 Speaker 3: Well, again I think I'm not. Again, there are some vacancies, 169 00:08:26,960 --> 00:08:30,360 Speaker 3: but I mean the health partner's always the territories always 170 00:08:30,360 --> 00:08:33,840 Speaker 3: had a very transient, much more of a transient workforce 171 00:08:33,840 --> 00:08:37,160 Speaker 3: than other states of territories. I think just because of 172 00:08:37,200 --> 00:08:40,280 Speaker 3: the nature of young people moving in and out, so 173 00:08:40,360 --> 00:08:45,120 Speaker 3: we've always had a fairly fluid health recruitment issue. And 174 00:08:45,120 --> 00:08:46,680 Speaker 3: I think it's not too bad at the name to 175 00:08:46,679 --> 00:08:48,560 Speaker 3: be frank. I mean it's probably pretty much up to 176 00:08:48,600 --> 00:08:50,120 Speaker 3: the stage normally, is yep. 177 00:08:50,480 --> 00:08:53,800 Speaker 2: And have we had any other situations out at Royal 178 00:08:53,880 --> 00:08:56,480 Speaker 2: Darwin Hospital in recent times so we've sort of had 179 00:08:56,520 --> 00:08:58,440 Speaker 2: bed shortages or anything. I know you and I have 180 00:08:58,480 --> 00:09:01,280 Speaker 2: spoken about code yellows in the past, but are things 181 00:09:01,320 --> 00:09:03,559 Speaker 2: going fairly smoothly at this stage? 182 00:09:04,320 --> 00:09:04,680 Speaker 1: Well? 183 00:09:05,000 --> 00:09:07,560 Speaker 3: The I mean the hospital is always under pressure and 184 00:09:07,600 --> 00:09:11,720 Speaker 3: my minister, my leader, the Minister Hunt a couple of 185 00:09:11,760 --> 00:09:14,920 Speaker 3: years ago pointed out the Territory Hospital that El springs 186 00:09:15,000 --> 00:09:17,720 Speaker 3: En Darwin are probably twice the three times as busy 187 00:09:17,760 --> 00:09:21,120 Speaker 3: as other hospitals in Australia, so there's tremendous pressure constantly 188 00:09:21,120 --> 00:09:25,680 Speaker 3: on the hospital and hospital you management are always working 189 00:09:26,120 --> 00:09:30,080 Speaker 3: to try and get the patient float throughput as efficient 190 00:09:30,120 --> 00:09:30,720 Speaker 3: as possible. 191 00:09:31,400 --> 00:09:33,839 Speaker 2: Well, Doctor Robert Parker, anything else we should be aware 192 00:09:33,880 --> 00:09:36,880 Speaker 2: of this morning from your perspective, A look. 193 00:09:36,800 --> 00:09:38,679 Speaker 3: That I can think of, Katie No at the moment. 194 00:09:38,920 --> 00:09:41,400 Speaker 2: Good on your doctor Parker. Always appreciate your time I 195 00:09:41,440 --> 00:09:42,320 Speaker 2: know you're a busy man. 196 00:09:43,200 --> 00:09:44,000 Speaker 3: Okay, good to talk. 197 00:09:44,200 --> 00:09:46,320 Speaker 1: Thank you. That is doctor Robert Parker. 198 00:09:46,360 --> 00:09:49,280 Speaker 2: There, the president of the Northern Territory branch of the 199 00:09:49,320 --> 00:09:50,840 Speaker 2: Australian Medical Association.