Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
As were revealed a short time ago, we know that
the Midwiffree services are going to be ceasing at the
Darwin Private Hospital. We started to receive word from medical
insiders yesterday saying that they were quite concerned about this.
Now there's still a lot of things that remain up
in the air, all questions I guess for expectant mums
(00:20):
and for those that have gone through that service. Plenty
of messages coming through this morning on the tech signe
as well. Now. The Health Minister, Steve Edgington, has said
that they had hoped that Health Scope would give expectant
families at least nine months notice to allow them to
properly plan their birthing duty, their birthing journey. I should
(00:41):
say pardon me now, he says, given today's announcement, the
COLP government is going to act swiftly to ensure that
there are alternative private maternity measures and models and experiences
in Darwin. Now I am of the understanding, or I
certainly understand at this point in time that there those
(01:01):
The delivery of babies born at the Darwin Private Hospital
has dropped from around five hundred and six hundred a
year down two about two hundred in recent years, is
what we're being told. But joining me on the line
right now is somebody with a lot more knowledge in
this space. It is the head of the Nursing and
Midwiffree Union here in the Northern Territory, Kath Hatcha.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
Good morning to you, Ah, Good morning, Katie, Good morning
to your listeners.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
Kav tell us what is this going to mean for
territory families.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
It's very disappointing, isn't it. For about just under three
hundred women who are birthing or intending to birth at
the private hospital will no longer be able to.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
Kath. It's massive news. Look, I didn't have my babies
at the private hospital. I had mine at Royal Darwin Hospital.
And I can't speak highly enough of the nurses and
doctors everybody involved there at the Royal Darwin Hospital. But
the fact is women want choices and this ultimately takes
that choice away.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
It does, actually, it's taking their choice away. And the
announcement for the staff is happening today, so some of
the staff who potentially are on night duty or on
a late shift are here, probably hearing it on the
media before they are hearing it from their employer, which
(02:29):
is also very disappointing. You would think that they would
tell their staff before it was broadcast in the media.
So the whole process that's how it's come out is
also very disappointing. Besides the women who I feel for
that don't have that choice of birthing at the private kas.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
It's I mean, it is, it's a terrible situation. What
are you being told is the reason behind this?
Speaker 2 (02:59):
Haven't been told any reason, but I have just only
a few minutes ago received a email from the general
manager workplace relations to say it was a very difficult
decision and the sadly the service is no longer viable.
(03:20):
So to me that means money.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
Yeah, well that's exactly how it sounds. So cav have
you had nurses get and midwives get in contact with
you this morning? What are they saying to you?
Speaker 2 (03:35):
They haven't been in contact with us because they're only
just finding out now, although they have had rumors going
around their workplace over the last couple of months and
the managers have said, oh no, no, that's not happening, etc.
I have reached out to the midwives this morning and
there were only just hearing from their managers, So this
(03:58):
will impact roughly around eleven full time equivalent sorry, fifteen equivalent.
They've got sixteen permanent staff with about ten more casuals
for the maternity which is antiinatal, postnatal, labor, birth and
(04:20):
special care nursery, and they have a little under three
hundred births currently with only two obstetricians and one pediatrician.
They have declined in their birthing rates since twenty and thirteen,
he says in his email, from nearly seven hundred births
(04:42):
in twenty thirteen to just under three hundred in last
year in twenty twenty four. So yes, they have been struggling,
but you know why haven't they reached out earlier from
the NT government, the federal government or the Royal Daleen
(05:02):
Hospital to try and work something out so women do
have choice that they can have an obstetrician for their
care right through from start to end.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
Absolutely a cat to me, I'm going to be really
blunt about it. It sounds like bullshit. I think you know,
they're not putting patients first. What they're doing is worrying
about the bottom line. I get that they're a business, right,
but we are a capital city of Australia.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
Yes, absolutely. Now they've done something recently in Healthscope in
hober they've just announced that last Friday and they're doing
the same they're shutting their maternity services. And you might
here have heard that CANS Private which is not a
Healthscope division at the Ramsey Health but they've done the
same thing early last year. They've shut their maternity services too. However,
(05:55):
CANS and Hobar have near other maternity service that they
can rely on, not just one hospital but several. We
have one hospital here in the top end. The next
one is go or Catherine in a similar sort of
kilometer radius. But that could potentially put more pressure on Catherine,
(06:20):
which is already under pressure. Royal Darwin is already under pressure.
Both campuses have lack of staff. They're already working over time,
double shifts etc. And agencies to fill the gap. Where
are they Yes, they potentially could get the extra staff
(06:40):
from the private but some of those midwives might not
want to go and work at the public system. They
might say, oh well the money, a couple of years
off retirement, I'll retire early, or they may go and
do something completely different. So they like working in the
private That's why I work there, that's.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
Right, And again it's their choice. They get to decide
where they want to work. Kas Can you tell me
from a real, I guess, operational perspective, because there are
women already messaging through this morning saying Katie, what is
it going to mean, you know, in terms of still
being able to access an obstetrician. Would I still be
able to do that and go through the public hospital?
(07:23):
Somebody else wondering is there still going to be gynecologists
for other medical issues other than maternity as well.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
Yeah, Well, there's definitely the gynecological set up in the
public system already, and I guess they're already offering that
star the private and I'm sure that they're going to,
you know, nitty gritty work out what's going to happen
over the next year. I shouldn't presume, but there is
(07:57):
an obstitution and gynecologist that is working at the private
I don't know whether that obstetrician gynecologist is going to
keep working as a gynecologist and stop thestetric component and
therefore be able to see women private. So they're gynecology
(08:23):
issues and perhaps potentially have operations if required. They're going
to have to nuck that out between the public and
the private. But I do know that there are five
staff at the private hospital that are direct entry midwives,
which means that there are not a nurse, so they
(08:44):
can't work in the rest of the private hospital as
a nurse. They need to work as a midwives. So
that's going to have a huge impact on them.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
They could lose their jobs they I mean, well, like
it looks like that's going to be what happens unless
they get redeployed or they want to be redeployed to
the I don't even know if that's the right word
for it, but yeah, to the public hospital.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
Well, when you look at the industrial impact, are those
midwives if they do transfer across to the Royal Daleen
Hospital or anywhere else in the Department of Health, NT
are they going to take with them their sick leave,
their long service leave, and their annually and have all
their requirements carried over. Yeah, that legislation and enterprise agreement's
(09:32):
going to be needing to be looked at. But the
ones that are midwives as well as qualified registered nurses,
they could have the opportunity to still stay at the
private but work in other areas of the private as
a nurse.
Speaker 1 (09:50):
There just sounds like there is sort of so much
to work through here, cass. Look, definitely let's keep in
contacts because I'll be if you know, I'm very keen
to sort of just to hear how things do progress,
particularly with those staff. I know we've already got women
getting in contact with us about this situation that obviously
(10:10):
have those concerns. I really appreciate you having a chat
with us this morning.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
You're welcome, Katie. And I said on another radio station
this morning that I had heard from Department of Health
that the closure of the service was going to be
thirty first of March. But this letter that I received
five to ten minutes ago says that the service is
due to close on the seventeenth Debatepril, which is two
(10:37):
months away. It's not long enough to give everyone, the women,
particularly another avenue for their care.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
Yeah, we'd heard the same, so, but we have now
had that confirmation from the Health Minister Steve Edgington that
it's going to be the seventeenth of April. But I
think regardless if your baby's due end of March early April,
very concerned either way.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
Yes, correct, and my heart goes out to the women
of Darwin and surrounding areas that have got their bookings
with the Private. We are going to see the staff
this afternoon at the Private and hopefully again early next week,
and we're going to try and see if we can
fight this.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
Yeah, Kath, we might even try and have another chat
with you tomorrow if there is a bit of an
update this afternoon. Thank you again for having a chat
with us, and we'll talk to you again very soon.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
You're welcome.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
Thanks so much, Kath, and please pass on our well
wishers to all those nurses and everybody impacted as well.
I can't imagine, you know. I know it's so tough
for all the expectant families, but it's also so tough
for those women and you know, nurses and midwives, men
and women who are staring down the barrel of losing
their jobs or things changing dramatically for them. Yeah, correct,
(11:55):
Thank you, Thanks so much.
As were revealed a short time ago, we know that
the Midwiffree services are going to be ceasing at the
Darwin Private Hospital. We started to receive word from medical
insiders yesterday saying that they were quite concerned about this.
Now there's still a lot of things that remain up
in the air, all questions I guess for expectant mums
(00:20):
and for those that have gone through that service. Plenty
of messages coming through this morning on the tech signe
as well. Now. The Health Minister, Steve Edgington, has said
that they had hoped that Health Scope would give expectant
families at least nine months notice to allow them to
properly plan their birthing duty, their birthing journey. I should
(00:41):
say pardon me now, he says, given today's announcement, the
COLP government is going to act swiftly to ensure that
there are alternative private maternity measures and models and experiences
in Darwin. Now I am of the understanding, or I
certainly understand at this point in time that there those
(01:01):
The delivery of babies born at the Darwin Private Hospital
has dropped from around five hundred and six hundred a
year down two about two hundred in recent years, is
what we're being told. But joining me on the line
right now is somebody with a lot more knowledge in
this space. It is the head of the Nursing and
Midwiffree Union here in the Northern Territory, Kath Hatcha.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
Good morning to you, Ah, Good morning, Katie, Good morning
to your listeners.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
Kav tell us what is this going to mean for
territory families.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
It's very disappointing, isn't it. For about just under three
hundred women who are birthing or intending to birth at
the private hospital will no longer be able to.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
Kath. It's massive news. Look, I didn't have my babies
at the private hospital. I had mine at Royal Darwin Hospital.
And I can't speak highly enough of the nurses and
doctors everybody involved there at the Royal Darwin Hospital. But
the fact is women want choices and this ultimately takes
that choice away.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
It does, actually, it's taking their choice away. And the
announcement for the staff is happening today, so some of
the staff who potentially are on night duty or on
a late shift are here, probably hearing it on the
media before they are hearing it from their employer, which
(02:29):
is also very disappointing. You would think that they would
tell their staff before it was broadcast in the media.
So the whole process that's how it's come out is
also very disappointing. Besides the women who I feel for
that don't have that choice of birthing at the private kas.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
It's I mean, it is, it's a terrible situation. What
are you being told is the reason behind this?
Speaker 2 (02:59):
Haven't been told any reason, but I have just only
a few minutes ago received a email from the general
manager workplace relations to say it was a very difficult
decision and the sadly the service is no longer viable.
(03:20):
So to me that means money.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
Yeah, well that's exactly how it sounds. So cav have
you had nurses get and midwives get in contact with
you this morning? What are they saying to you?
Speaker 2 (03:35):
They haven't been in contact with us because they're only
just finding out now, although they have had rumors going
around their workplace over the last couple of months and
the managers have said, oh no, no, that's not happening, etc.
I have reached out to the midwives this morning and
there were only just hearing from their managers, So this
(03:58):
will impact roughly around eleven full time equivalent sorry, fifteen equivalent.
They've got sixteen permanent staff with about ten more casuals
for the maternity which is antiinatal, postnatal, labor, birth and
(04:20):
special care nursery, and they have a little under three
hundred births currently with only two obstetricians and one pediatrician.
They have declined in their birthing rates since twenty and thirteen,
he says in his email, from nearly seven hundred births
(04:42):
in twenty thirteen to just under three hundred in last
year in twenty twenty four. So yes, they have been struggling,
but you know why haven't they reached out earlier from
the NT government, the federal government or the Royal Daleen
(05:02):
Hospital to try and work something out so women do
have choice that they can have an obstetrician for their
care right through from start to end.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
Absolutely a cat to me, I'm going to be really
blunt about it. It sounds like bullshit. I think you know,
they're not putting patients first. What they're doing is worrying
about the bottom line. I get that they're a business, right,
but we are a capital city of Australia.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
Yes, absolutely. Now they've done something recently in Healthscope in
hober they've just announced that last Friday and they're doing
the same they're shutting their maternity services. And you might
here have heard that CANS Private which is not a
Healthscope division at the Ramsey Health but they've done the
same thing early last year. They've shut their maternity services too. However,
(05:55):
CANS and Hobar have near other maternity service that they
can rely on, not just one hospital but several. We
have one hospital here in the top end. The next
one is go or Catherine in a similar sort of
kilometer radius. But that could potentially put more pressure on Catherine,
(06:20):
which is already under pressure. Royal Darwin is already under pressure.
Both campuses have lack of staff. They're already working over time,
double shifts etc. And agencies to fill the gap. Where
are they Yes, they potentially could get the extra staff
(06:40):
from the private but some of those midwives might not
want to go and work at the public system. They
might say, oh well the money, a couple of years
off retirement, I'll retire early, or they may go and
do something completely different. So they like working in the
private That's why I work there, that's.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
Right, And again it's their choice. They get to decide
where they want to work. Kas Can you tell me
from a real, I guess, operational perspective, because there are
women already messaging through this morning saying Katie, what is
it going to mean, you know, in terms of still
being able to access an obstetrician. Would I still be
able to do that and go through the public hospital?
(07:23):
Somebody else wondering is there still going to be gynecologists
for other medical issues other than maternity as well.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
Yeah, Well, there's definitely the gynecological set up in the
public system already, and I guess they're already offering that
star the private and I'm sure that they're going to,
you know, nitty gritty work out what's going to happen
over the next year. I shouldn't presume, but there is
(07:57):
an obstitution and gynecologist that is working at the private
I don't know whether that obstetrician gynecologist is going to
keep working as a gynecologist and stop thestetric component and
therefore be able to see women private. So they're gynecology
(08:23):
issues and perhaps potentially have operations if required. They're going
to have to nuck that out between the public and
the private. But I do know that there are five
staff at the private hospital that are direct entry midwives,
which means that there are not a nurse, so they
(08:44):
can't work in the rest of the private hospital as
a nurse. They need to work as a midwives. So
that's going to have a huge impact on them.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
They could lose their jobs they I mean, well, like
it looks like that's going to be what happens unless
they get redeployed or they want to be redeployed to
the I don't even know if that's the right word
for it, but yeah, to the public hospital.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
Well, when you look at the industrial impact, are those
midwives if they do transfer across to the Royal Daleen
Hospital or anywhere else in the Department of Health, NT
are they going to take with them their sick leave,
their long service leave, and their annually and have all
their requirements carried over. Yeah, that legislation and enterprise agreement's
(09:32):
going to be needing to be looked at. But the
ones that are midwives as well as qualified registered nurses,
they could have the opportunity to still stay at the
private but work in other areas of the private as
a nurse.
Speaker 1 (09:50):
There just sounds like there is sort of so much
to work through here, cass. Look, definitely let's keep in
contacts because I'll be if you know, I'm very keen
to sort of just to hear how things do progress,
particularly with those staff. I know we've already got women
getting in contact with us about this situation that obviously
(10:10):
have those concerns. I really appreciate you having a chat
with us this morning.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
You're welcome, Katie. And I said on another radio station
this morning that I had heard from Department of Health
that the closure of the service was going to be
thirty first of March. But this letter that I received
five to ten minutes ago says that the service is
due to close on the seventeenth Debatepril, which is two
(10:37):
months away. It's not long enough to give everyone, the women,
particularly another avenue for their care.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
Yeah, we'd heard the same, so, but we have now
had that confirmation from the Health Minister Steve Edgington that
it's going to be the seventeenth of April. But I
think regardless if your baby's due end of March early April,
very concerned either way.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
Yes, correct, and my heart goes out to the women
of Darwin and surrounding areas that have got their bookings
with the Private. We are going to see the staff
this afternoon at the Private and hopefully again early next week,
and we're going to try and see if we can
fight this.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
Yeah, Kath, we might even try and have another chat
with you tomorrow if there is a bit of an
update this afternoon. Thank you again for having a chat
with us, and we'll talk to you again very soon.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
You're welcome.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
Thanks so much, Kath, and please pass on our well
wishers to all those nurses and everybody impacted as well.
I can't imagine, you know. I know it's so tough
for all the expectant families, but it's also so tough
for those women and you know, nurses and midwives, men
and women who are staring down the barrel of losing
their jobs or things changing dramatically for them. Yeah, correct,
(11:55):
Thank you, Thanks so much.
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