‘The NT has lost two OBS’: Darwin staffer slams ‘unsafe’ private maternity retreat model

Private OB, Dr Jenny Mitchell, has helped countless Territory mothers through their pregnancy journeys. But that is all about to change.

Darwin private obstetrician (OB) Dr Jenny Mitchell speaks out about the private maternity ward closure.

At 7.45am on Thursday, February 20, private obstetrician Dr Jenny Mitchell was told the maternity ward at Darwin Private Hospital was closing.

By 8.30am, she was hearing the news on the radio.

The phones were soon flooded with distraught mums asking what was happening while shell-shocked staff on the ward, who had been told 10 minutes before, were grappling with the news.

“This was February,” said Dr Mitchell. “We were booked up until September.

“I’d asked two weeks before whether we were closing because I’d heard rumours from the public hospital.

“And management said, ’No, no. We’ll let you know. You’ll have plenty of warning.’

“And then suddenly, 15 minutes before the public announcement, ‘We’re closing. You’ve got eight weeks.’

“That’s it.”

Dr Jenny Mitchell has been working at Darwin Private Hospital for over 20 years.

Herself and the other private OB, Dr Alia Vemuri have worked to try and help their patients during all the uncertainty but she said they know the ward is lost.

“We’re all resigned to it now,” she said. “Nothing’s going to change.”

Since the announcement in February, NT Health has stepped in to try and provide some after-care models.

As it stands, the ward will close June 6 and private healthcare patients will give birth in Royal Darwin Hospital with the option of two after-care models.

One of which is a highly contested “luxury resort” package in the Mecure Darwin Airport Resort Hotel.

The response from NT Health has been criticised by Dr Mitchell as being disorganised and unsafe and said it would not be supported by private OBs.

Under a proposed after-care package, rooms will be offered to families at Darwin Airport Resort Mecure.

What is the post-natal retreat package?

Once a patient has given birth at the public hospital and is safe to be discharged, families can choose to then stay in a room at the Mecure Darwin Airport Resort.

An independent midwife, not attached to the public hospital, will visit for 20 to 30 minutes each day and families will have access to a 24/7 phone number.

It is unclear who will be manning the hotline.

If there are any issues, the midwife will call the public hospital or either Dr Mitchell or Dr Vemuri.

The model has been set up to mirror other models in other states. But Dr Mitchell said there are massive differences and has stated they will not be supporting it in Darwin.

Speaking about the model in Melbourne, she said: “It is run through and by the private hospital, it’s co-located with the private hospital and it’s staffed 24 hours by the private hospital.

“That is not what they’re offering here.”

Instead Dr Mitchell said the mums should be able to go home with support from the domiciliary midwives who are attached to the public hospital and known to the OBs.

She explained having an unknown midwife give advice and care in a location not attached to a hospital could lead to risky situations.

“That’s where I don’t feel that it’s safe, and I don’t want to be medically legally responsible for that.

“It’s a political publicity band aid. We told the Health Department before Easter that we did not support it.”

‘The NT Government could have done more’

Dr Mitchell said as a company, Healthscope has been very “resistant” to working on creative solutions in the past.

But given the government knew about the ward closure months before staff, she said they could have pushed on some things a bit harder.

Darwin Private Hospital staff were told the same morning as a public announcement was made that the maternity ward would close. Picture: DPH

“They did nothing. They didn’t increase domiciliary, they didn’t go and recruit more midwives.

“They didn’t go and try and facilitate this. I think they must have pushed Healthscope at least for some time to keep it open, but didn’t actually do anything else to help keep it open.”

Mentioning the government’s aim to grow the population, Dr Mitchell said this was all going to have a knock-on effect for younger Territorians and people moving to the NT.

Particularly as Healthscope went into receivership this week adding to patient uncertainty.

“From my perspective, the women and the families that we see are either not going to come to Darwin … or they get pregnant and they’re going to leave.

“And I’ve certainly had quite a few girls have chosen to actually go interstate for their deliveries in the coming months.”

Expectant mum Danielle Mulhall is planning to fly interstate to have her baby. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

RDH might cope with numbers but pregnancies and births are more complicated these days

While NT Health said the public hospital has the capacity to offer care to the additional births being moved from the private hospital, reports of its capacity issues have been circulating.

With only six birthing rooms, staff have confirmed reports of mums labouring in waiting room chairs and personnel shortages putting a strain on the public ward.

But it is not just numbers that will add to pressure.

Royal Darwin Hospital will take on the private patients. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

“The public hospital are doing their best to help us out,” said Dr Mitchell. “I can’t criticise them at all, they’ve been put in a difficult position.

“Yes, they’ve had more patients through in the past, but I would say that today’s obstetric load is maybe not as many numbers, but certainly much more complicated obstetrics.

“Everything is getting more difficult, and we found it privately, but in the public as well.”

She said this can be due to women giving birth at an older age than in the past which can lead to more complications.

One thing NT Health could do to increase capacity is staff and upgrade two birthing wards on the ground floor.

“There is a cost, but it’s not a huge cost compared to a lot of these other things they should be focusing on, because that’s what women want. They want safe care for themselves and their babies during their labour.

“And if they had a little bit more space, little less busyness, it would be better for everyone.”

‘The NT has lost two obstetricians’

Due to the closure and the handling of the situation, Dr Mitchell said she will no longer be practising obstetrics.

“By the end of this year, the NT will have lost two obstetricians because I’m not continuing to do obstetrics, and Alia is considering her options,” she said.

Dr Jenny Mitchell said she will be stopping obstetrics.

“I’m not retiring but I’m stopping obstetrics.

“I wasn’t intending on stopping babies yet, I like my job, I like my life.

“I’ve loved looking after my women. It’s been an absolute joy and pleasure and it’s just really sad that I can’t do it.

“I could give them the same medical care in the public, but I can’t give them the same service as I would like to that I have been able to in the private.”

Originally published as ‘The NT has lost two OBS’: Darwin staffer slams ‘unsafe’ private maternity retreat model