Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now, if you've been listening to the show this week,
you would have heard me talking about concerns which have
been raised about a number of staff in Royal Darwin
Hospital's emergency department being assaulted in the past couple of
months by patients. Now, we sought a response from the
Department of Health, and we're guest today told by a
departmental spokesperson that NT Health is committed to a zero
(00:22):
tolerance approach to aggression against employees. A safe and supportive
working environment is essential for healthcare workers to be able
to provide quality care to the community. Now, they also
say that works underway to implement additional safety measures to
help improve safety for all staff. Now joining us on
(00:43):
the line to talk more about this is the new
Minister for Health, Selena Rubo. Good morning to your minister.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Good morning Katy, good onding to your listener.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
Minister, thanks so much for your time this morning and
for joining us in your new role as the Health Minister. Now,
we have been con acted about serious concerns around assaults
on staff at Royal Darwin Hospital. Some recent examples that
we've been told about by workers at the hospital include
a security officer assaulted by a patient ed. Unfortunately, that
(01:15):
security officer apparently sustained a broken risks requiring surgery. An
ED consultant was assaulted by a patient we're told, punched
to the face. A nurse assaulted by a patient with
a chair thrown at that nurse. Another nurse had a
cup of water thrown at their head. Another nurse was
kicked in the groin. Plenty of staff we're told are
(01:38):
pregnant at the moment and there are concerns raised about
what that could mean given the fact that they are
in well they are pregnant. Now, first off, are you
aware of any of these incidents.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Thank you, Katie. And absolutely unacceptable for anyone in anybody's workplace,
and particularly those who are caring for fellow Territorians to
be good under the pressure or to be at risk
of assault in any of those incidents that you have outlined.
I've been visiting the hospitals across the NT in my
new role. I was at Royal Dale Hospital two weeks
(02:13):
ago and that was raised directly risk me as a
concern around the safety for stuff. And it is a
priority for our government to ensure that our staff, whether
they're our doctors in our ED there our admin staff,
our cleaners, or our security guards who are supporting those
hardworking healthcare professionals making sure that they have all of
the tools and all the protections that they need in
(02:34):
the workplace so they can continue that high level of
care for territory.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
And so, Minister, it was raised with you by staff
just a couple of weeks ago. I mean, what did
the staff say to.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
You, So of course asking for the further support see
and some of the measures that have been put in
place to particularly in emergency department, which is already a
very high pressure and intense part of the healthcare system
in terms of what people deal with in that intensity,
but to ensure that we have protections for our datare
(03:05):
working and that high intensity care.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
And I think we both agree. You know, it's a
bloody woeful situation where you've got people trying to help
patients and to then wind up in a situation where
you're being assaulted. It's horrible stuff and it just should
not be happening. I know we're never going to be
able to completely stop this kind of thing, but what
can we do to try to make sure that all
(03:28):
stuff like you've pointed out, you know, from cleaners and
those in their supporting our frontline workers, to our nurses,
our doctors, security to keep them all safe.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
Katy, the unions have made a really big push around
materials and a campaign for keeping frontline workers safe, particularly
in that healthcare part of our empty system. So I
think more of us speaking up of course and outline
and what's unacceptable and saying no to what's unacceptable, but
(04:00):
also extra measures, and we have seen across our health
care systems the need to put in security guards in
some of those very high intense parts of our healthcare system,
like the emergency departments across the volunt teritory in our hospitals.
So those extra steps and measures to ensure that we
do have the extra support so people can do what
they do best and look after territory.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
In Minister, we were told that in one of these instances,
a security officer was assaulted. He was punched by a
patient and went into cardiac arrest. Have you got any
confirmation of that, Katie.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
I'm aware of the incident, but of course I won't
comment on an individual incident, but the work that our
security card. You think the work that our security guards
do in terms of protecting and supporting those health care
professionals is important and if they are assaulted themselves then
that's still unacceptable and making sure that they get the
(04:58):
right supports, their family gets the support incidents that it
does occur.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
Do we have any idea how many assaults have occurred
in the last month.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
I don't have a number on me, Katie Bady. Data
that is collected with anti health I believe it's also
data that's collected with the apertual community control health organizations
in their clinics or in their workplaces.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
Is it data that we're able to obtain so we
can get a gauge of whether these numbers are going
up or you know, whether they're on par with what
they've been previously.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
I tell you, I have to check out the rules
around all of that, but I believe it is data
that we can obtain and that we can share.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
All right, well, we might try and follow that up, Minister.
I think the big question that so many people are
going to be asking this morning is you know what
action is taken when a serious assault occurs? And do
we need to be going down the path of mandatory
sentencing if somebody assaults a frontline worker.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
So if there is an assault that occurs in the
workplace for our healthcare professionals, there are steps and procedures
to undertake to ensure that one that health worker is
safe and two that the reporting process around that is
supported for that individual. When we're talking about what the
consequences are or something like that, that would be up
(06:23):
to whatever those processes that individual and their support team undertake.
If there are any criminal procedures, of course, then that
would be a conversation around what the what the you know,
the court sentencing processes are for an individual if that
has occurred, if it's if it doesn't go down that route,
there may be you know, other measures that have taken
(06:45):
in place. For example, it might be somebody is escorted
into a waiting area and not left on their own,
et cetera. So it may may relate to an individual circumstance,
you know, I mean.
Speaker 1 (06:59):
It should we be looking at going down the paths
of a mandatory sentencing if somebody assaults, say, you know,
a frontline worker in a place like a hospital.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
Katie, we have putting extra measures around frontline workers and
as I mentioned, the union campaigns around hands off our
frontline workers has been very robust in terms of being
able to articulate the safety of those healthcare workers who
are looking after us, looking after our family, looking after
(07:29):
strangers here in the MP so that we can have
the best healthcare possiles, particularly at that acute or critical ends,
which is unfortunately where we're seeing some of those numbers
around assaults.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
The department told us yesterday that work is underway to
implement some additional safety measures to help improve safety for
all stuff. That includes that increased security presence in the
emergency department and the removal of all objects that are
not fixed down or can be lifted easily by one
person from the waiting area RDH so that they are
(08:03):
continuing to meet with Mt Police or review opportunities for
enhanced collaboration and processes in response to safety concerns and incidents.
Is that enough in your opinion?
Speaker 2 (08:15):
Obviously, Katie, is the work between the health staff and
identifying what can be done in the short term or
immediate incidance about his branding extra measures for safety, particularly
for talking about an area like the waiting room of
the emergency department, and then again looking at one of
the medium and long term steps and measures and having
(08:36):
that safety aspect and lens from the support of other
government agencies like the police, and of course, as I
mentioned earlier, the advocates in the unions and some of
our health SCAREPA bodies who represent a large volume of
members in the health profession.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
Minister, Before I let you go, I do want to
ask you. Over the Christmas period, there was media coverage
about the new two hundred and fifty nine million dollars
integrated electronic health records system. It was reportedly suspended in
two emergency departments. That system, ACACIA as it's known, replaces
other clinical systems and integrates a dozen or more into
a digital system. But it had issues in our two
(09:16):
major emergency departments and they were, as I understand, its
set to revert back to using a previous health records system.
Where are things at with that system?
Speaker 2 (09:28):
Yes, so, Katie. The CASIAS system has been rolled out
across all of our Northern Territory hospitals for the past
eighteen months, and just before christ first we did roll
it out to the Royal dult Hospital, which is the
largest hospital of users in terms of our healthcare professionals
in the Northern Territory. So there was identified quite early
(09:50):
around some of the user feedback, so those healthcare professionals
who were using the newer CASIA system in two particular divisions,
those departments within the hospital that there wasn't meeting their
user need. So there has been a lot of work
over the last couple of weeks, Katie to identify what
(10:12):
the issue is, because we want the whole system to
be able to talk to the rest of the whole system.
So work's been done across digital corporate development as well
as health to really look at them localized solutions for
those two departments. We've had a twenty year old system
here in the NT. There was a lot of work
several years into creating the new system and that's what
(10:35):
it's been a staged approach in terms of rolling it
out online. We've go about four thousand, five hundred years
of the new ocasion system and there's about four hundred
of those users who are being affected in those high level,
again intense parts of the hospital in RDH's been through that.
Speaker 1 (10:53):
So is it being used right now in the emergency
department at date or has it been suspended?
Speaker 2 (11:01):
The latest information I had, Katie was that they were
going to look at changing the process of the reporting
and getting some interim staff in from the digital corporate
side to be able to assist those healthcare professionals because
the process and we did look at suspending for those
two divisions, but it also had an impact in terms
(11:22):
of how that data then created the flow on effect
for a patient's journey through the hospital. For example, if
you're leaving ED, you may be leaving to go home,
or you may be leaving ED you may be going
into another ward of the hospital, and that system is
designed and built to track the progress or the process
as followed the patient through the healthcare system. So all
(11:42):
of those conversations have been had at a very high
and technical level and an operational level. We took on
a lot of feedback, particularly from the emergency department staff
in the Royal Dalty Hospital, and then this week is
particularly looking at some of the eglementing some of those
other measures and lifting some of the burden off those users. Yeah,
(12:04):
absolutely want them to do what they do and care
for us in that eating Yeah, section of the hospital.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
Absolutely, the last thing you want is for it to
be a burden for them rather than actually assisting them.
Just finally, this morning, Minister the rate of GP's bulk
billing has reportedly increased by two point one percent in
the first two months since the federal government tripled the
Medicare incentive. The increase has benefited regional Australians more than
those in cities. Have you had much of an opportunity
(12:31):
to look at the impact that it's had here in
the Northern Territory at this stage.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
Oh, Katie, I haven't had much of a chance to
look at that new news. But anything that supports the
access to healthcare, particularly in our regional, remote parts of
the Northern Territory, is always a good story. And also
for the burden of what we see for our healthcare
system where people are going to GPS, it does reduce
(12:57):
the pressure on our hospitals because they're getting that care
it earlier and sooner from those GPS. So seeing a
system that increases anything to support that process and lifting
the burden in our hospitals would be very much welcomed.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
Well, Minister for Health, Selena Rubo, we really appreciate your
time this morning, and no doubt we'll talk to you
again soon.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
Thank you so much, Katie. Javi
Now, if you've been listening to the show this week,
you would have heard me talking about concerns which have
been raised about a number of staff in Royal Darwin
Hospital's emergency department being assaulted in the past couple of
months by patients. Now, we sought a response from the
Department of Health, and we're guest today told by a
departmental spokesperson that NT Health is committed to a zero
(00:22):
tolerance approach to aggression against employees. A safe and supportive
working environment is essential for healthcare workers to be able
to provide quality care to the community. Now, they also
say that works underway to implement additional safety measures to
help improve safety for all staff. Now joining us on
(00:43):
the line to talk more about this is the new
Minister for Health, Selena Rubo. Good morning to your minister.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Good morning Katy, good onding to your listener.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
Minister, thanks so much for your time this morning and
for joining us in your new role as the Health Minister. Now,
we have been con acted about serious concerns around assaults
on staff at Royal Darwin Hospital. Some recent examples that
we've been told about by workers at the hospital include
a security officer assaulted by a patient ed. Unfortunately, that
(01:15):
security officer apparently sustained a broken risks requiring surgery. An
ED consultant was assaulted by a patient we're told, punched
to the face. A nurse assaulted by a patient with
a chair thrown at that nurse. Another nurse had a
cup of water thrown at their head. Another nurse was
kicked in the groin. Plenty of staff we're told are
(01:38):
pregnant at the moment and there are concerns raised about
what that could mean given the fact that they are
in well they are pregnant. Now, first off, are you
aware of any of these incidents.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Thank you, Katie. And absolutely unacceptable for anyone in anybody's workplace,
and particularly those who are caring for fellow Territorians to
be good under the pressure or to be at risk
of assault in any of those incidents that you have outlined.
I've been visiting the hospitals across the NT in my
new role. I was at Royal Dale Hospital two weeks
(02:13):
ago and that was raised directly risk me as a
concern around the safety for stuff. And it is a
priority for our government to ensure that our staff, whether
they're our doctors in our ED there our admin staff,
our cleaners, or our security guards who are supporting those
hardworking healthcare professionals making sure that they have all of
the tools and all the protections that they need in
(02:34):
the workplace so they can continue that high level of
care for territory.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
And so, Minister, it was raised with you by staff
just a couple of weeks ago. I mean, what did
the staff say to.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
You, So of course asking for the further support see
and some of the measures that have been put in
place to particularly in emergency department, which is already a
very high pressure and intense part of the healthcare system
in terms of what people deal with in that intensity,
but to ensure that we have protections for our datare
(03:05):
working and that high intensity care.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
And I think we both agree. You know, it's a
bloody woeful situation where you've got people trying to help
patients and to then wind up in a situation where
you're being assaulted. It's horrible stuff and it just should
not be happening. I know we're never going to be
able to completely stop this kind of thing, but what
can we do to try to make sure that all
(03:28):
stuff like you've pointed out, you know, from cleaners and
those in their supporting our frontline workers, to our nurses,
our doctors, security to keep them all safe.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
Katy, the unions have made a really big push around
materials and a campaign for keeping frontline workers safe, particularly
in that healthcare part of our empty system. So I
think more of us speaking up of course and outline
and what's unacceptable and saying no to what's unacceptable, but
(04:00):
also extra measures, and we have seen across our health
care systems the need to put in security guards in
some of those very high intense parts of our healthcare system,
like the emergency departments across the volunt teritory in our hospitals.
So those extra steps and measures to ensure that we
do have the extra support so people can do what
they do best and look after territory.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
In Minister, we were told that in one of these instances,
a security officer was assaulted. He was punched by a
patient and went into cardiac arrest. Have you got any
confirmation of that, Katie.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
I'm aware of the incident, but of course I won't
comment on an individual incident, but the work that our
security card. You think the work that our security guards
do in terms of protecting and supporting those health care
professionals is important and if they are assaulted themselves then
that's still unacceptable and making sure that they get the
(04:58):
right supports, their family gets the support incidents that it
does occur.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
Do we have any idea how many assaults have occurred
in the last month.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
I don't have a number on me, Katie Bady. Data
that is collected with anti health I believe it's also
data that's collected with the apertual community control health organizations
in their clinics or in their workplaces.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
Is it data that we're able to obtain so we
can get a gauge of whether these numbers are going
up or you know, whether they're on par with what
they've been previously.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
I tell you, I have to check out the rules
around all of that, but I believe it is data
that we can obtain and that we can share.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
All right, well, we might try and follow that up, Minister.
I think the big question that so many people are
going to be asking this morning is you know what
action is taken when a serious assault occurs? And do
we need to be going down the path of mandatory
sentencing if somebody assaults a frontline worker.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
So if there is an assault that occurs in the
workplace for our healthcare professionals, there are steps and procedures
to undertake to ensure that one that health worker is
safe and two that the reporting process around that is
supported for that individual. When we're talking about what the
consequences are or something like that, that would be up
(06:23):
to whatever those processes that individual and their support team undertake.
If there are any criminal procedures, of course, then that
would be a conversation around what the what the you know,
the court sentencing processes are for an individual if that
has occurred, if it's if it doesn't go down that route,
there may be you know, other measures that have taken
(06:45):
in place. For example, it might be somebody is escorted
into a waiting area and not left on their own,
et cetera. So it may may relate to an individual circumstance,
you know, I mean.
Speaker 1 (06:59):
It should we be looking at going down the paths
of a mandatory sentencing if somebody assaults, say, you know,
a frontline worker in a place like a hospital.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
Katie, we have putting extra measures around frontline workers and
as I mentioned, the union campaigns around hands off our
frontline workers has been very robust in terms of being
able to articulate the safety of those healthcare workers who
are looking after us, looking after our family, looking after
(07:29):
strangers here in the MP so that we can have
the best healthcare possiles, particularly at that acute or critical ends,
which is unfortunately where we're seeing some of those numbers
around assaults.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
The department told us yesterday that work is underway to
implement some additional safety measures to help improve safety for
all stuff. That includes that increased security presence in the
emergency department and the removal of all objects that are
not fixed down or can be lifted easily by one
person from the waiting area RDH so that they are
(08:03):
continuing to meet with Mt Police or review opportunities for
enhanced collaboration and processes in response to safety concerns and incidents.
Is that enough in your opinion?
Speaker 2 (08:15):
Obviously, Katie, is the work between the health staff and
identifying what can be done in the short term or
immediate incidance about his branding extra measures for safety, particularly
for talking about an area like the waiting room of
the emergency department, and then again looking at one of
the medium and long term steps and measures and having
(08:36):
that safety aspect and lens from the support of other
government agencies like the police, and of course, as I
mentioned earlier, the advocates in the unions and some of
our health SCAREPA bodies who represent a large volume of
members in the health profession.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
Minister, Before I let you go, I do want to
ask you. Over the Christmas period, there was media coverage
about the new two hundred and fifty nine million dollars
integrated electronic health records system. It was reportedly suspended in
two emergency departments. That system, ACACIA as it's known, replaces
other clinical systems and integrates a dozen or more into
a digital system. But it had issues in our two
(09:16):
major emergency departments and they were, as I understand, its
set to revert back to using a previous health records system.
Where are things at with that system?
Speaker 2 (09:28):
Yes, so, Katie. The CASIAS system has been rolled out
across all of our Northern Territory hospitals for the past
eighteen months, and just before christ first we did roll
it out to the Royal dult Hospital, which is the
largest hospital of users in terms of our healthcare professionals
in the Northern Territory. So there was identified quite early
(09:50):
around some of the user feedback, so those healthcare professionals
who were using the newer CASIA system in two particular divisions,
those departments within the hospital that there wasn't meeting their
user need. So there has been a lot of work
over the last couple of weeks, Katie to identify what
(10:12):
the issue is, because we want the whole system to
be able to talk to the rest of the whole system.
So work's been done across digital corporate development as well
as health to really look at them localized solutions for
those two departments. We've had a twenty year old system
here in the NT. There was a lot of work
several years into creating the new system and that's what
(10:35):
it's been a staged approach in terms of rolling it
out online. We've go about four thousand, five hundred years
of the new ocasion system and there's about four hundred
of those users who are being affected in those high level,
again intense parts of the hospital in RDH's been through that.
Speaker 1 (10:53):
So is it being used right now in the emergency
department at date or has it been suspended?
Speaker 2 (11:01):
The latest information I had, Katie was that they were
going to look at changing the process of the reporting
and getting some interim staff in from the digital corporate
side to be able to assist those healthcare professionals because
the process and we did look at suspending for those
two divisions, but it also had an impact in terms
(11:22):
of how that data then created the flow on effect
for a patient's journey through the hospital. For example, if
you're leaving ED, you may be leaving to go home,
or you may be leaving ED you may be going
into another ward of the hospital, and that system is
designed and built to track the progress or the process
as followed the patient through the healthcare system. So all
(11:42):
of those conversations have been had at a very high
and technical level and an operational level. We took on
a lot of feedback, particularly from the emergency department staff
in the Royal Dalty Hospital, and then this week is
particularly looking at some of the eglementing some of those
other measures and lifting some of the burden off those users. Yeah,
(12:04):
absolutely want them to do what they do and care
for us in that eating Yeah, section of the hospital.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
Absolutely, the last thing you want is for it to
be a burden for them rather than actually assisting them.
Just finally, this morning, Minister the rate of GP's bulk
billing has reportedly increased by two point one percent in
the first two months since the federal government tripled the
Medicare incentive. The increase has benefited regional Australians more than
those in cities. Have you had much of an opportunity
(12:31):
to look at the impact that it's had here in
the Northern Territory at this stage.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
Oh, Katie, I haven't had much of a chance to
look at that new news. But anything that supports the
access to healthcare, particularly in our regional, remote parts of
the Northern Territory, is always a good story. And also
for the burden of what we see for our healthcare
system where people are going to GPS, it does reduce
(12:57):
the pressure on our hospitals because they're getting that care
it earlier and sooner from those GPS. So seeing a
system that increases anything to support that process and lifting
the burden in our hospitals would be very much welcomed.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
Well, Minister for Health, Selena Rubo, we really appreciate your
time this morning, and no doubt we'll talk to you
again soon.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
Thank you so much, Katie. Javi
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