Health Minister Steve Edgington says changes to the way patient flows are managed at Royal Darwin Hospital has meant there hasn’t been a need to call code yellows but admits the system is still facing the same capacity issues and bed pressures

Published Jun 24, 2025, 12:50 AM
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As you heard on the show last week, we spoke quite a bit about code yellows. It followed on from the CEO of int Health saying but in budget estimates that there hasn't been a need to call any code yellows at Royal day And Hospital with patient flows and capacity being managed in other ways. We know that there were indeed eleven code yellows called at Royal daar And Hospital last financial year, but there have been none declared since the CLP came to power now. The Northern Territory President of the Australian Medical Association, doctor John Zorbits, joined me on the show last week saying that there are still significant capacity issues at Royal dah And Hospital, with patients in some instances waiting more than eight hours for the care that they need. Now joining me in the studio is the Health Minister, Steve Edgington. Good morning to your minister.

Good morning Katie, and good morning till the listeners up here and.

Darwell welcome back. I know you've been crooks, so I hope you're feeling all right.

Ah tell you what. Last week spent a couple of days in bed, but back feeling a lot better this week, I'll tell you what just that two or three days feeling really often I think it was really a bad case of the flu, but feeling a lot.

Better to well, we're pleased to hear it, and please to have you in the studio now, minister. Tell me In terms of these code yellows, it sounds like there is still a need to call for code yellows, but why are they not being called?

Well, the reality is, as we spoke at Estimates last week, the whole issue around code yellows has been you know, everybody's been saying, oh, you know, there's been instructions given to the CEO you shouldn't be calling code yellows. But I think the real point here is that I need to make it pretty clear that when we're talking about capacity and bed pressures, we're talking about the numbers going through the emergency department. Nothing has changed. And this is the this is the real issue when it comes to code yellows, because what we're doing differently, and the CEO went right through this at Estimates last week, is that what we're doing is managing patient flow through the ED into the wards. And I think this is where the difference is made is that he indicated last week to estimates that he's not calling code yellows because what they're doing is that they've changed the way that they're managing patients in the ED, and that's by having what they call fifteen minute huddles. It's about bringing people together and working together on dealing with the current workload coming through ED. So managing that patient flow is what has changed over since we came into government, new CEO, new ways of doing business, and you know, we're really happy with the way that that's being managed. But I need to make it very clear. The workload hasn't changed. We're still seeing extremely busy periods through the ED.

So I guess if the workload hasn't changed, it's really just the way that it's being dealt with, is what you're saying, is how you're doing things different. Like so you don't feel as though there's any requirement for them to call code yellows, is it?

Look? Look, everything I've been told and speaking to people on the front line, speaking to the CEO, that those huddles that are being held in the ED when that work pressure builds up, that they're dealing with patient flow, are we still seeing the same sort of workloads. Yes, nothing has changed, But what we're seeing is those patient flows being managed differently at the front line, and this is where the difference is being made.

I know, when those cold yellows previously used to get called, it did mean that things like the elective surgeries etc. You know, had to be postponed or had to be pushed back, which in some circumstances it seemed as though, as frustrating as it might be for patients, it was something that was absolutely required. Are you saying that there's no longer a need for that.

Well, not saying there's no need for that. What we're doing is managing the patient flows. So if you look back on how the preview government and the managed code yellows calling a code yellow, a number of things came to a standstill, and those elective surgeries was one of those that was often reported on that there was a delay in those happening. What we're doing at the what we are doing differently is managing the patient flow, ensuring that patients are managed through ed into the wards a lot more seamlessly.

If it is being managed more seamlessly, why are we still in a situation, as doctor John Zorbis had told us where we're experiencing that access block, and he said, that's a nationally recognized term when patients have to wait more than eight hours for the care that they need. You know, So what is happening to try and manage that.

Yeah, well, there's a number of things. And what we are doing at the moment is building the new ward at the rohald N Hospital, So that will help manage some of the numbers that we're seeing coming through ED that that work is underway at the moment. That'll be a ground floor ward where there will be opacity to increase I think a further two flaws if necessary moving forward, so that ward should be online I think by around about late this year or early next year, so that will be a number of I think it's about thirty four beds, thirty two bed I think it is, but that'll be online soon. But what we're seeing overall is, look, we're seeing huge numbers coming through the ED. What we are doing when it comes to funding, you know, we're dealing with maternity at the same time, but the reality is that we're significantly underfunded when it comes to delivering health services here in the Northern Territory.

Well, that's certainly something that the AMA had said to us as well. We are going to be catching up with Luke Gosling, the federal member for Solomon, in a couple of minutes time, so I'll ask him about that as well. It is something we've spoken to him about before. I guess, Minister, what I'm trying to get to the bottom of is, you know, whether you call a cold yellow or you don't call a code yellow, it does still sound. You know, even by your own admission that you know, not a huge amount has changed. We've still got big capacity issues at Royal Darwin Hospital. I know it's tough because you know we're waiting for some of these other facilities to come online. I as you've discussed, you know, the mental health area. We're all so you know, we have been promised, of course by the federal government, those additional age care beds. It is a capacity issue. But I suppose you know, the concern that I have is, after speaking to doctor John's Orbis and also speaking sort of offare to other nurses and doctors, is how we manage these ongoing capacity issues and if people are double bunking, you know, in hospital in you know, particularly in the emergency ward, how we deal with those ongoing issues.

So I think, you know, looking at all of these issues, Katie, as I've said a number of times before, on any given day in the Northern Church, we have up to sixty to eighty aged care patients in the hospital. Now this is also, I suppose, contributing to the capacity issues that we see. So what we do know is that the federal government has promised sixty million to assist with an age care facility here. But having sixty to eighty age care patients in our hospital system on any day of the week obviously is creating significant pressure on our frontline staff. But it's also significantly it's costing US forty million dollars a year just to manage those additional patients in the hospitals here in the Northern Territory. So we need that work to be done by the federal government, particularly when it comes to age care. Yes, we're building the new ward, we're building the new mental health facility and over time that will have an impact on the number on the capacity dealing with issues at the ED.

Where are things at with that new age care facility? Because when I caught up with Luke Gosling last week. He said that the you know that originally I thought that it was potentially being looked at to be built out there in Palmerston. Have you got any update for us with this.

So in regard to the sixty million, there has been I suppose an expression of interest process being managed through the Commonwealth Government. At the moment, there has been some interest in building a facility. At the moment, there's been those submissions, but at the moment there's been no further announcements regarding any successful applications around that. That's sixty million there, it's on the table and we're hoping that we'll see some further progress with that in the not too distant future. But our commitment is that we're making land available at the Palmerston Hospital precinct.

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

Definitely, And we've made that clear right from the outset. There significant amount of land out there. We would like to see a facility there. We're going to contribute the land, we're going to contribute the headworks to that project. What we are waiting for is some further announcement and some further commitment from the Federal government around when that will be built.

Well, I feel like I should hopefully be able to get some further answers for territories this morning, because I've got you in the studio now to ask questions, and then I've got Luke Goslin coming in next So where does it sit right now for our listeners. Whose desk is it on? Well?

Look, look, look it's on the desk of the Commonwealth Government. But look, what I do want to say is that nt Health is working very collaboratively with their counterparts in the Federal government. We see this as an opportunity to work together and I want to make that clear. We're in this together. We want to make sure that there is a facility built here in Darwin. We want to see proper care for age care patients. The sixty million I've said from the outset, I'm not sure that that's going to be enough, But what we want to see is that facility built and we're going to work with the Commonwealth Government to ensure that's delivered.

Steve, from your perspective, has there been like from that EOI process, and as you said, it is being managed. I think you said by the federal government at this point in time. Do you know if there's been much interest.

My understanding is there's been several submissions, so that work not out as being assessed as we speak, and hopefully we'll see some further progress on that in the not too distant future.

But the sooner we can get this cracking along, the better. I mean, between sixty and eighty aged care patients.

Per day any data across the Northern territory, so I don't have the exact numbers, but it fluctuates here in Darwen. But what I can say is that's also contributing to the significant pressure we have on the ED here in Darwin. So if we can overcome the issue around age care and ensure that age care patients have the proper facilities, they shouldn't be in hospitals, they should be in proper facilities where they can be cared for properly.

Now, before I let you go, how have things been tracking since the ending of maternity services at the Dale and Private Hospital.

Well, I've got some really good news around maternity service, as Katie. At the moment, the latest statistics as of yesterday, there's been thirteen babies born to families with private health insurance at the Royal Dalen Hospital. So the feedback that I've received is twenty one family so far have confirmed what type of package they would like going into after birth, and twelve families so far have opted for the retreat package that's the hotel stay and nine have chosen the return to home Sooner package. So what we're seeing at the moment is thirteen babies born. But we're also seeing some good feedback from families that have taken up that hotel package as well. So the feedback so far has been pretty positive. And as I've always said, look, we've got the very best staff on the front line and I really want to congratulate them on the work that they're doing.

We might we'll have to try and track down one of the moms that's had a baby recently and find out how it's all gone. Thirteen new little territory and news, isn't it.

Well, it's incredible, and you know, there's been a lot of heartache along the way. There's been a lot of confusion and anger. But what I can say is that you know, since Hellscope has closed back on the sixth of June thirteen babies coming through, and you know, the feedback that I've had from the front line is that the staff are coping very well with the additional births and well.

Steve Edgington, the Minister for Health, we better let you go. I understand you've got plenty of meetings on this morning, so thank you very much for your time today.

Great to be here, Katie, and good morning to all the listeners.

Thank you