OUR HEALTH CRISIS: Fatal confrontation only ‘matter of time’, RDH mental health workers warn

OUR HEALTH CRISIS: Mental health workers at the Royal Darwin have raised the prospect of strike action in a letter sent to the NT Health Minister.

CONCERNED health workers in the Royal Darwin’s mental health ward have written to Health Minister Natasha Fyles urging immediate action and raising the possibility of strike action.

The letter, obtained by the NT News, outlined a number of concerns including: “assaults on staff”, a snap decision to open a mental health ward in the main RDH premises made “overnight, just before a weekend”, shortages of junior doctors, “oblivious” management, and dissatisfaction among doctors and nurses, with the possibility of a mass exodus or strike action.

The letter, which was signed anonymously by a number of staff in the mental health ward, was particularly critical of the decision to hire a locum consultant psychiatrist “at $2500 a day to be employed in the Emergency Department in an attempt to limit psychiatry admissions”.

They claim this “exorbitant” decision had the opposite impact.

The letter also is critical of the overnight decision to open a mental health ward within the Royal Darwin Hospital’s main premises, which continues to this day.

Entrance to Cowdy Ward at the Royal Darwin Hospital.

The staff said having the facility set up in the location is “extremely-high risk”, citing absconding patients, self-harm attempts and a lack of nursing input as having become common.

“It is only a matter of time before a serious injury or a fatality occurs either to staff or to a client,” the letter warned.

Health Minister Natasha Fyles said the government was listening to concerns of mental health workers, and the practice of housing mental health patients within the main RDH premises was being worked on.

“No other Government has done more for mental health,” Ms Fyles said.

Health Minister Natasha Fyles said the government was trying to fix the system. Picture: Glenn Campbell

This is an absolute priority for Labor and this is why we have recently released a tender for a $30 million 18-bed inpatient unit to be built to bolster capacity at RDH.

“The tender also includes an additional $7.5m Stabilisation and Referral Area to provide a therapeutic environment for mental health clients.”

“In addition we have an additional 40 nurses starting work in the next fortnight, plus 15 more doctors coming from overseas in a matter of months.”

Ms Fyles said upgrades were being made to the Cowdy Ward, the Joan Ridley Unit and the Youth Inpatient Program.

The Royal Darwin Hospital has been in the spotlight in recent weeks. Picture: Che Chorley

The performance of the Top End’s health service has been under scrutiny in recent weeks, after a fourth code yellow in a year was declared at the Royal Darwin Hospital in late September.

A number of organisations, including the Australian Medical Association and the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine, have expressed concern about the state of emergency services.

A review has also been launched into the Palmerston Regional Hospital, to consider how the facility can better be used.

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