Royal Darwin and Palmerston hospitals plunged into Code Yellow for second time in a week

The Royal Darwin and Palmerston hospitals have again been plunged into a Code Yellow – signifying an internal emergency. A well-placed source has shared some of the issues plaguing the facilities.

Royal Darwin Hospital emergency department (Photo by DAVID GRAY / AFP)

The Royal Darwin and Palmerston hospitals have again been plunged into a Code Yellow – signifying an internal emergency.

It is the second time in eight days the drastic step has been taken and, according to CLP opposition health spokesman Bill Yan, the eighth in approximately 12 months.

“Royal Darwin and Palmerston Hospital is experiencing a peak in demand due to a substantial increase in patients requiring admission to hospital for care,” NT Health said in a statement on Thursday afternoon.

“To manage the situation and ease pressures on the hospital system while providing high quality safe care, internal measures have been enacted and a Code Yellow is now in place at RDPH.

“This is in line with the national hospital coding process used to manage and respond to a range of internal and external pressures or emergencies.

“Actions are being undertaken to proactively manage capacity at RDPH and strategies are in place to ensure ongoing patient safety.”

Palmerston Regional Hospital is on Code Yellow. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

While NT Health issued its statement at 2pm, the NT News was first alerted to the existence of a Code Yellow by an internal hospital source at 4.51pm Wednesday.

“RDH just gone to Code Yellow. Bed capacity issues again,” the source said in their Wednesday afternoon message.

NT Health did not directly address NT News questioning about why the public announcement was delayed by more than 22 hours.

Speaking in the wake of last week’s Code Yellow, which was called last Wednesday, the internal source said there was a delayed in publicising that one as well – he said it was actually called at approximately 8pm Tuesday.

On that occasion, the source said the Code Yellow was called in response to a ‘bed block’ crisis.

“They had 57 fully admitted patients waiting for a ward to open up,” the source said.

The source said the pressure was constantly ratcheting up on the RDPH.

“Code Yellows in themselves are no longer as newsworthy they used to be, which in itself is telling,” they said.

The source said a Code Yellow typically involved “opening up expansion areas, cancelling elective surgery, and calling in every specialist team to make sure consultants are identifying ward patients early to get them out”.