‘Call it whatever you want, RDH is dangerously full’: Code Yellow Estimates narrative slammed by AMA

Comments on a lack of Code Yellows called at Royal Darwin Hospital from the NT Health Minister and NT Health chief executive have been criticised as misleading.

NT Health chief executive, Chris Hosking, said: ‘We have not had to call a code yellow because we have not been in a crisis’. Picture: Supplied/Georgia Politis.

Comments on a lack of Code Yellows called at Royal Darwin Hospital from the NT Health Minister and NT Health chief executive have been criticised as misleading and focused on semantics.

In Tuesday’s Estimates Committee, the Health Minister, Steve Edgington, said in his opening statement that Royal Darwin Hospital (RDH) used to be “plagued” by code yellows.

But due to work done by clinicians and hospital staff, there had not been one called since August 2024.

Health Minister, Steve Edgington, said a Code Yellow had not been called at RDH since 2024. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

This was quickly questioned by the Member for Daly, Dheran Young, who asked the Health Minister and NT Health chief executive, Chris Hosking, if any changes had been made to the identification, notification and activation system of a Code Yellow.

Mr Hosking explained the term is used to describe when a hospital is under bed pressure distress and has not changed.

In the past, he said it has generally been used at RDH when there have been “bed blocks” in wards and staff have struggled to get patients out of the ED and into a ward and an available bed.

The emergency department entrance at Royal Darwin Hospital (RDH).

Due to a change in processes such as daily huddles with clinicians and administrators which focus on looking at possible available beds to move patients into across the whole hospital and other regional hospitals, Mr Hosking said they had worked hard to relieve pressures.

“Calling code yellow is a sign that things are not working,” he added during a slightly heated back and forth with Mr Young.

“We have not had to call a code yellow because we have not been in a crisis.

“We have had extreme operating pressures, but we have been able to manage those very effectively.”

When pushed on the number of “bed blocks” at RDH, Mr Hosking and Mr Edgington struggled to give a concrete answer.

In an attempt to move away from terminology, Member for Johnston, Justine Davis, interjected by asking how many days RDH has been above capacity since last July.

The question was taken on notice.

AMA NT president Dr John Zorbas.

‘Royal Darwin Hospital is dangerously full on a daily basis’

The discussion surrounding calling Code Yellows drew an irate response from the Australian Medical Association (AMA) NT president Dr John Zorbas.

“The fixation on Code Yellows is semantics”, said Dr Zorbas. “You can call it whatever you want.

“The fact remains that Royal Darwin Hospital is dangerously full on a daily basis”.

He said the focus should instead be on access block a term recognised by the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine.

This happens when a decision is made to admit a patient and it takes longer than eight hours for them to arrive in the relevant ward.

It is understood to be linked to increased harm to patients when it is present.

“Our doctors tell us that Royal Darwin Hospital has been in access block almost every day of this year, and this is the proof that RDH doesn’t have the beds it needs to provide the care that Territorians need,” Dr Zorbas said.

“The solution to access block is a hospital with enough beds to accommodate their patients.

“This means a primary care systems that is funded and resourced to prevent needing a hospital in the first place.”

He called on Territory and Federal governments to appropriately help fund the healthcare in the Territory to fix the issues as the NT reportedly receives the lowest percentage of Federal funding compared to other jurisdictions.