CHARLIE MCKILLOP, HOST: Ambulance ramping has been in the news again this morning, and what the headlines don’t tell you is the story behind the problem. Everyday patients are left stranded waiting at the emergency department while doctors and nurses are doing their best to triage and deal with the relentless stream of people coming through the door. The reasons they are there are many and varied, and whether they should be perhaps being dealt with elsewhere by a GP or one of two of the new Medicare urgent healthcare clinics north and south of Cairns is another matter. But how many of the people turning up at ED are suffering from some form of psychological episode, or maybe some other form of mental health anguish? Where can they go to get the care that they need, if not the emergency department? Well, maybe the Federal Government has come up with an answer to that very question. I’m about to find out, because the Assistant Federal Health Minister Emma McBride has dropped by. G’day, Minister.
ASSISTANT MINISTER EMMA MCBRIDE: Great to be with you, Charlie.
MCKILLOP: Well, what are you here to do today in Cairns?
MCBRIDE: I'm here today with Matt Smith, your local member in Leichhardt, to officially open the new Medicare Mental Health Centre. I worked in regional hospitals for nearly 10 years and what I saw was people in distress end up in crisis simply because they couldn't get support sooner. And as you mentioned, emergency departments aren't necessarily a safe place or the ideal place for people to seek that sort of support and care. So we're introducing Medicare Mental Health Centres which are free, which are walk-in and you don't need an appointment, and we'll be officially opening the one in Cairns which is in Mulgrave Road, Bungalow today.
MCKILLOP: Okay, so that's a really big step forward. What are you able to get if you attend one of these mental health Medicare centres?
MCBRIDE: What you'll be met with is someone who's probably had their own personal experience because we know that when accessing mental health support, someone who's walked in your shoes is often the best start to you being able to seek support and to help you to navigate the system of support and care. Within the centre, there's multidisciplinary teams, social workers, nurses, psychologists, occupational therapists, all there to be able to tailor the support to meet your individual needs. Often there's many different of this distress, and to be able to have the multidisciplinary team to be able to work with you on the particular drivers of that distress means that you can get the wraparound care that's holistic and just for you.
MCKILLOP: And is this a one-off? Is this just a system of referring you to somewhere for more support? Or is this a place that you can keep coming back to?
MCBRIDE: This is a place that you can keep coming back to because we want to make sure that people can have support, have it closer to home and have it when they need it. And these services are open to extended hours. At the moment, the service is open from 9 to 7 Monday to Friday, looking to scale up to 9 to 9 across the whole of the week so that whenever someone is in distress or seeking information or support it'll be available them.
And importantly, for your listeners to know, this is all free and under Medicare.
MCKILLOP: Okay, that's something that I was going to ask about, the opening hours, because the point that I was making, and I guess we've only just had the state opposition leader Steven Miles in town yesterday talking about the problem of ambulance ramping which is why it's been in our news headlines again, a perennial issue in our news headlines. Is this something that is going to alleviate pressure on the emergency department? Is that a policy objective here?
MCBRIDE: The main intention is to make sure that anybody in distress who needs support and a family or carer can also access information and advice. We have seen where these services have been introduced for example in Townsville that there has been a reduction in presentations to the emergency department for people with psychological distress, and when people have been asked, they've then chosen to go to the Medicare Mental Health Centre rather than to the emergency department. There, of course, will still be situations where someone does need that acute inpatient care. But yes, we have seen where these centres have been introduced, and including in the one in Cairns, where an ambulance has then brought the person to the Medicare Mental Health Centre rather than to the emergency department.
MCKILLOP: Okay, that sound like a positive step. We've got the Assistant Federal Health Minister Emma McBride with you on ABC Far North. If you have a question about this facility that I haven't thought of, I'd be more than happy for you to put it, 0487-993-222. Health is obviously an ongoing issue, one that every community in Australia continues to grapple with, particularly the fact that people are turning up at the hospital because they're having trouble getting to a GP. That's often one of the impediments.
One of the things that we heard from the opposition leader Steven Miles is that we need a new hospital, something that his government wasn't able to achieve in more than a decade in government in Queensland, but now expects the new LNP Government to be able to do. What does your government stand ready to do as a federal layer of support for a Cairns University Hospital, which is the aspiration of our community?
MCBRIDE: As you would be aware, there is a National Hospital and Health Reform Agreement. The Commonwealth Government has significantly invested in that agreement. The states and territories are directly responsible for running those hospitals. But we want to make sure that people get support, particularly in primary care, which is our main responsibility sooner. You mentioned the introduction of two Medicare Urgent Care Clinics. They do directly take pressure off emergency departments and hospital presentations. We also have headspace locally, which is becoming a headspace Plus, which will mean that younger people with more complex mental health problems can access support within the community. We've also introduced an endo pelvic pain clinic for women and girls within Cairn. So a strong investment from the Commonwealth in women's health, in primary care, in mental health, to make sure that people can get support sooner so that those problems don't escalate and they're less likely to need to present to the hospital.
MCKILLOP: From where are the future doctors going to come? We know that nearly two-thirds of medical graduates who study in the regions are likely to stay in the regions, which is the central thrust of the case that's been made over many years for the James Cook University for more Commonwealth supported places. And the region was very disappointed to miss out on the last allocation of those supported places. What can you tell us about the next allocation? Are we at the front of the queue, Minister?
MCBRIDE: I met with James Cook University just two weeks ago and I'm meeting with them later today. I know as someone who grew up in the regions that- someone who grows up in the regions and is able to study at a local university do their placements in that community or in a similar community is much more likely to stay and continue to work in that community. And with my responsibility for regional health, I'll continue advocating for Commonwealth supported places in places like Cairns because we know that it is the most reliable way to produce the workforce that local people need and deserve.
MCKILLOP: Alright Minister, well I really appreciate you dropping by and delivering some positive news. The new Medicare Mental Health Centre opening in Mulgrave Road in Cairns today. How soon might people be able to turn up at the door there?
MCBRIDE: Yes, so the service is open. We're doing the official opening today …
MCKILLOP: [Interrupts] You're cutting the ribbon, are you?
MCBRIDE: It opened in February and we're doing the official opening today. And already people have been walking into the service and I understand that they've already had almost 200 occasions of care at the service, so we know that there is demand there. So I'd encourage listeners if they themselves or someone they know needs support for psychological distress that they can walk in, they don't need a diagnosis, they don't need an appointment and it's all free and backed by Medicare.
MCKILLOP: That's fantastic news. Thank you very much for being with us. You're also in the green room as we heard from the Atherton Enhancement Group, as the newly formed group is calling itself. Just a really positive example of a community deciding not to walk past a problem, not to complain about a problem, but to get stuck in and do something about a problem. As a politician, as a person that's put themselves forward to try and make the community a better place, how do stories like that make you feel?
MCBRIDE: It's incredible to hear, and it was wonderful to know that community came together, they- people were aware of the problem, and then I think was it more than 38, nearly 40 people turned out for a working bee, so rolling up their sleeves, getting stuck in and helping the local community. And as someone who is part of Surf Life Saving and Landcare, the difference it makes when you can be- get together with local people and to try to contribute to your community. Sometimes these problems can seem overwhelming, but getting together locally and working together can make a big difference.
MCKILLOP: Including to your own emotional wellbeing. Just thinking that through every time I do something, even though I might be begrudging dragging myself along to be a volunteer at times, we're all time poor, but you end up coming away inevitably feeling better than when you arrived.
MCBRIDE: That's right. And we know for people's social emotional well-being, being connected to other, being part of a group, doing something that has purpose, are all things that do help us. I would encourage any of your listeners, if there's a local group that they want to be a part of or an organisation that they think that their values align with, to get involved. It helps you and it helps the community.
MCKILLOP: Hey, Minister, you've got a couple of advisors who are probably saying, hang on a minute, Charlie said 10 minutes, not 15. You've got your next gig to get to and thanks for dropping by and speaking with our listeners on ABC Far North.
MCBRIDE: So good to be with you, Charlie.