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Speaker 1: As you heard on the show last week, we spoke

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Speaker 1: quite a bit about code yellows. It followed on from

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Speaker 1: the CEO of int Health saying but in budget estimates

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Speaker 1: that there hasn't been a need to call any code

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Speaker 1: yellows at Royal day And Hospital with patient flows and

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Speaker 1: capacity being managed in other ways. We know that there

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Speaker 1: were indeed eleven code yellows called at Royal daar And

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Speaker 1: Hospital last financial year, but there have been none declared

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Speaker 1: since the CLP came to power now. The Northern Territory

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Speaker 1: President of the Australian Medical Association, doctor John Zorbits, joined

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Speaker 1: me on the show last week saying that there are

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Speaker 1: still significant capacity issues at Royal dah And Hospital, with

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Speaker 1: patients in some instances waiting more than eight hours for

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Speaker 1: the care that they need. Now joining me in the

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

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Speaker 1: your minister.

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Speaker 2: Good morning Katie, and good morning till the listeners up

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Speaker 2: here and.

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Speaker 1: Darwell welcome back. I know you've been crooks, so I

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Speaker 1: hope you're feeling all right.

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Speaker 2: Ah tell you what. Last week spent a couple of

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Speaker 2: days in bed, but back feeling a lot better this week,

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Speaker 2: I'll tell you what just that two or three days

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Speaker 2: feeling really often I think it was really a bad

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Speaker 2: case of the flu, but feeling a lot.

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Speaker 1: Better to well, we're pleased to hear it, and please

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Speaker 1: to have you in the studio now, minister. Tell me

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Speaker 1: In terms of these code yellows, it sounds like there

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Speaker 1: is still a need to call for code yellows, but

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Speaker 1: why are they not being called?

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Speaker 2: Well, the reality is, as we spoke at Estimates last week,

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Speaker 2: the whole issue around code yellows has been you know,

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Speaker 2: everybody's been saying, oh, you know, there's been instructions given

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Speaker 2: to the CEO you shouldn't be calling code yellows. But

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Speaker 2: I think the real point here is that I need

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Speaker 2: to make it pretty clear that when we're talking about

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Speaker 2: capacity and bed pressures, we're talking about the numbers going

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Speaker 2: through the emergency department. Nothing has changed. And this is

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Speaker 2: the this is the real issue when it comes to

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Speaker 2: code yellows, because what we're doing differently, and the CEO

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Speaker 2: went right through this at Estimates last week, is that

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Speaker 2: what we're doing is managing patient flow through the ED

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Speaker 2: into the wards. And I think this is where the

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Speaker 2: difference is made is that he indicated last week to

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Speaker 2: estimates that he's not calling code yellows because what they're

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Speaker 2: doing is that they've changed the way that they're managing

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Speaker 2: patients in the ED, and that's by having what they

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Speaker 2: call fifteen minute huddles. It's about bringing people together and

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Speaker 2: working together on dealing with the current workload coming through ED.

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Speaker 2: So managing that patient flow is what has changed over

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Speaker 2: since we came into government, new CEO, new ways of

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Speaker 2: doing business, and you know, we're really happy with the

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Speaker 2: way that that's being managed. But I need to make

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Speaker 2: it very clear. The workload hasn't changed. We're still seeing

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Speaker 2: extremely busy periods through the ED.

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Speaker 1: So I guess if the workload hasn't changed, it's really

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Speaker 1: just the way that it's being dealt with, is what

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Speaker 1: you're saying, is how you're doing things different. Like so

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Speaker 1: you don't feel as though there's any requirement for them

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Speaker 1: to call code yellows, is it?

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Speaker 2: Look? Look, everything I've been told and speaking to people

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Speaker 2: on the front line, speaking to the CEO, that those

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Speaker 2: huddles that are being held in the ED when that

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Speaker 2: work pressure builds up, that they're dealing with patient flow,

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Speaker 2: are we still seeing the same sort of workloads. Yes,

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Speaker 2: nothing has changed, But what we're seeing is those patient

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Speaker 2: flows being managed differently at the front line, and this

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Speaker 2: is where the difference is being made.

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Speaker 1: I know, when those cold yellows previously used to get called,

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Speaker 1: it did mean that things like the elective surgeries etc.

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Speaker 1: You know, had to be postponed or had to be

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Speaker 1: pushed back, which in some circumstances it seemed as though,

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Speaker 1: as frustrating as it might be for patients, it was

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Speaker 1: something that was absolutely required. Are you saying that there's

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Speaker 1: no longer a need for that.

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Speaker 2: Well, not saying there's no need for that. What we're

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Speaker 2: doing is managing the patient flows. So if you look

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Speaker 2: back on how the preview government and the managed code

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Speaker 2: yellows calling a code yellow, a number of things came

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Speaker 2: to a standstill, and those elective surgeries was one of

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Speaker 2: those that was often reported on that there was a

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Speaker 2: delay in those happening. What we're doing at the what

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Speaker 2: we are doing differently is managing the patient flow, ensuring

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Speaker 2: that patients are managed through ed into the wards a

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Speaker 2: lot more seamlessly.

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Speaker 1: If it is being managed more seamlessly, why are we

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Speaker 1: still in a situation, as doctor John Zorbis had told

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Speaker 1: us where we're experiencing that access block, and he said,

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Speaker 1: that's a nationally recognized term when patients have to wait

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Speaker 1: more than eight hours for the care that they need.

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Speaker 1: You know, So what is happening to try and manage that.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, well, there's a number of things. And what we

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Speaker 2: are doing at the moment is building the new ward

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Speaker 2: at the rohald N Hospital, So that will help manage

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Speaker 2: some of the numbers that we're seeing coming through ED

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Speaker 2: that that work is underway at the moment. That'll be

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Speaker 2: a ground floor ward where there will be opacity to

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Speaker 2: increase I think a further two flaws if necessary moving forward,

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Speaker 2: so that ward should be online I think by around

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Speaker 2: about late this year or early next year, so that

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Speaker 2: will be a number of I think it's about thirty

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Speaker 2: four beds, thirty two bed I think it is, but

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Speaker 2: that'll be online soon. But what we're seeing overall is, look,

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Speaker 2: we're seeing huge numbers coming through the ED. What we

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Speaker 2: are doing when it comes to funding, you know, we're

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Speaker 2: dealing with maternity at the same time, but the reality

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Speaker 2: is that we're significantly underfunded when it comes to delivering

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Speaker 2: health services here in the Northern Territory.

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Speaker 1: Well, that's certainly something that the AMA had said to

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Speaker 1: us as well. We are going to be catching up

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Speaker 1: with Luke Gosling, the federal member for Solomon, in a

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Speaker 1: couple of minutes time, so I'll ask him about that

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Speaker 1: as well. It is something we've spoken to him about before.

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Speaker 1: I guess, Minister, what I'm trying to get to the

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Speaker 1: bottom of is, you know, whether you call a cold

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Speaker 1: yellow or you don't call a code yellow, it does

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Speaker 1: still sound. You know, even by your own admission that

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Speaker 1: you know, not a huge amount has changed. We've still

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Speaker 1: got big capacity issues at Royal Darwin Hospital. I know

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Speaker 1: it's tough because you know we're waiting for some of

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Speaker 1: these other facilities to come online. I as you've discussed,

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Speaker 1: you know, the mental health area. We're all so you know,

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Speaker 1: we have been promised, of course by the federal government,

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Speaker 1: those additional age care beds. It is a capacity issue.

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Speaker 1: But I suppose you know, the concern that I have is,

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Speaker 1: after speaking to doctor John's Orbis and also speaking sort

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Speaker 1: of offare to other nurses and doctors, is how we

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Speaker 1: manage these ongoing capacity issues and if people are double bunking,

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Speaker 1: you know, in hospital in you know, particularly in the

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Speaker 1: emergency ward, how we deal with those ongoing issues.

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Speaker 2: So I think, you know, looking at all of these issues, Katie,

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Speaker 2: as I've said a number of times before, on any

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Speaker 2: given day in the Northern Church, we have up to

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Speaker 2: sixty to eighty aged care patients in the hospital. Now

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Speaker 2: this is also, I suppose, contributing to the capacity issues

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Speaker 2: that we see. So what we do know is that

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Speaker 2: the federal government has promised sixty million to assist with

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Speaker 2: an age care facility here. But having sixty to eighty

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Speaker 2: age care patients in our hospital system on any day

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Speaker 2: of the week obviously is creating significant pressure on our

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Speaker 2: frontline staff. But it's also significantly it's costing US forty

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Speaker 2: million dollars a year just to manage those additional patients

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Speaker 2: in the hospitals here in the Northern Territory. So we

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Speaker 2: need that work to be done by the federal government,

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Speaker 2: particularly when it comes to age care. Yes, we're building

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Speaker 2: the new ward, we're building the new mental health facility

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Speaker 2: and over time that will have an impact on the

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Speaker 2: number on the capacity dealing with issues at the ED.

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Speaker 1: Where are things at with that new age care facility?

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Speaker 1: Because when I caught up with Luke Gosling last week.

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Speaker 1: He said that the you know that originally I thought

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Speaker 1: that it was potentially being looked at to be built

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Speaker 1: out there in Palmerston. Have you got any update for

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Speaker 1: us with this.

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Speaker 2: So in regard to the sixty million, there has been

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Speaker 2: I suppose an expression of interest process being managed through

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Speaker 2: the Commonwealth Government. At the moment, there has been some

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Speaker 2: interest in building a facility. At the moment, there's been

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Speaker 2: those submissions, but at the moment there's been no further

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Speaker 2: announcements regarding any successful applications around that. That's sixty million there,

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Speaker 2: it's on the table and we're hoping that we'll see

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Speaker 2: some further progress with that in the not too distant future.

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Speaker 2: But our commitment is that we're making land available at

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Speaker 2: the Palmerston Hospital precinct.

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Speaker 1: So that is where you're keen to see it built, Oh.

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Speaker 2: Definitely, And we've made that clear right from the outset.

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Speaker 2: There significant amount of land out there. We would like

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Speaker 2: to see a facility there. We're going to contribute the land,

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Speaker 2: we're going to contribute the headworks to that project. What

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Speaker 2: we are waiting for is some further announcement and some

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Speaker 2: further commitment from the Federal government around when that will

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Speaker 2: be built.

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Speaker 1: Well, I feel like I should hopefully be able to

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Speaker 1: get some further answers for territories this morning, because I've

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Speaker 1: got you in the studio now to ask questions, and

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Speaker 1: then I've got Luke Goslin coming in next So where

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Speaker 1: does it sit right now for our listeners. Whose desk

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Speaker 1: is it on? Well?

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Speaker 2: Look, look, look it's on the desk of the Commonwealth Government.

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Speaker 2: But look, what I do want to say is that

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Speaker 2: nt Health is working very collaboratively with their counterparts in

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Speaker 2: the Federal government. We see this as an opportunity to

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Speaker 2: work together and I want to make that clear. We're

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Speaker 2: in this together. We want to make sure that there

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Speaker 2: is a facility built here in Darwin. We want to

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Speaker 2: see proper care for age care patients. The sixty million

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Speaker 2: I've said from the outset, I'm not sure that that's

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Speaker 2: going to be enough, But what we want to see

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Speaker 2: is that facility built and we're going to work with

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Speaker 2: the Commonwealth Government to ensure that's delivered.

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Speaker 1: Steve, from your perspective, has there been like from that

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Speaker 1: EOI process, and as you said, it is being managed.

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Speaker 1: I think you said by the federal government at this

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Speaker 1: point in time. Do you know if there's been much interest.

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Speaker 2: My understanding is there's been several submissions, so that work

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Speaker 2: not out as being assessed as we speak, and hopefully

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Speaker 2: we'll see some further progress on that in the not

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Speaker 2: too distant future.

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Speaker 1: But the sooner we can get this cracking along, the better.

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Speaker 1: I mean, between sixty and eighty aged care patients.

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Speaker 2: Per day any data across the Northern territory, so I

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Speaker 2: don't have the exact numbers, but it fluctuates here in Darwen.

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Speaker 2: But what I can say is that's also contributing to

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Speaker 2: the significant pressure we have on the ED here in Darwin.

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Speaker 2: So if we can overcome the issue around age care

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Speaker 2: and ensure that age care patients have the proper facilities,

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Speaker 2: they shouldn't be in hospitals, they should be in proper

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Speaker 2: facilities where they can be cared for properly.

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Speaker 1: Now, before I let you go, how have things been

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Speaker 1: tracking since the ending of maternity services at the Dale

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Speaker 1: and Private Hospital.

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Speaker 2: Well, I've got some really good news around maternity service,

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Speaker 2: as Katie. At the moment, the latest statistics as of yesterday,

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Speaker 2: there's been thirteen babies born to families with private health

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Speaker 2: insurance at the Royal Dalen Hospital. So the feedback that

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Speaker 2: I've received is twenty one family so far have confirmed

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Speaker 2: what type of package they would like going into after birth,

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Speaker 2: and twelve families so far have opted for the retreat

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Speaker 2: package that's the hotel stay and nine have chosen the

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Speaker 2: return to home Sooner package. So what we're seeing at

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Speaker 2: the moment is thirteen babies born. But we're also seeing

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Speaker 2: some good feedback from families that have taken up that

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Speaker 2: hotel package as well. So the feedback so far has

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Speaker 2: been pretty positive. And as I've always said, look, we've

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Speaker 2: got the very best staff on the front line and

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Speaker 2: I really want to congratulate them on the work that

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Speaker 2: they're doing.

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Speaker 1: We might we'll have to try and track down one

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Speaker 1: of the moms that's had a baby recently and find

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Speaker 1: out how it's all gone. Thirteen new little territory and news,

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Speaker 1: isn't it.

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Speaker 2: Well, it's incredible, and you know, there's been a lot

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Speaker 2: of heartache along the way. There's been a lot of

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Speaker 2: confusion and anger. But what I can say is that

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Speaker 2: you know, since Hellscope has closed back on the sixth

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Speaker 2: of June thirteen babies coming through, and you know, the

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Speaker 2: feedback that I've had from the front line is that

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Speaker 2: the staff are coping very well with the additional births

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Speaker 2: and well.

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Speaker 1: Steve Edgington, the Minister for Health, we better let you go.

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Speaker 1: I understand you've got plenty of meetings on this morning,

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Speaker 1: so thank you very much for your time today.

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Speaker 2: Great to be here, Katie, and good morning to all

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Speaker 2: the listeners.

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Speaker 1: Thank you