Dear Editor,

Seniors and those with disabilities are being turned away from access to the Palmerston Regional Hospital hydrotherapy pool by the allied health section of NT Health.

Patients who are granted access to the pool for a specific period of time to recover from surgery, yet still require access to the pool after that period because they are still in recovery and or pain, are denied the use of it by the department.

The Health Minister Steve Edgington stated on Mix 104.9 radio with Katie Woolf recently that access to the pool was available with a referral from their GP. This clearly is wrong based on allied health’s response to Advocate NT.

As an advocacy group, we will continue to push for answers for this important, if not critical service that supports Territorians.

This hydrotherapy pool was originally promised to support Territorians, with all the media attention it deserved.

NT Treasury projects the increase in the proportion of Aboriginal people who are aged 65, rising from 4.5 per cent in 2020-21 to 10.5 per cent in 2050-51, will be greater than the increase for the non-Aboriginal population, rising from 10.6 per cent to 14.7 per cent over the same period.

Hydrotherapy for the elderly offers significant physical and mental benefits by leveraging the unique properties of warm water to provide a safe, low-impact exercise environment.

The department suggests that patients can use public pools. There are not suitable, not purpose built, do not have a physiotherapist, are exposed to the weather, and not heated for therapy.

Hydrotherapy is a key therapy for those with disabilities and seniors, not just post-surgery.

Currently those inpatients and outpatients who get hydrotherapy are granted only a six week period, a time period that does not appear to be associated with patient health outcome. It is common for patients to discharged but still require hydrotherapy treatment.

We observe over a three week period that some sessions only have two people in the pool and one physiotherapist and one administration person.

Allied Health physiotherapy and hydrotherapy should be patient-centric not time-centric before discharge.

Having contacted allied health and the Mr Edgington, we still have not had an adequate answer as to why seniors are rejected, why this public hospital resource is under utilised, and why patients are discharged while still in recovery and or pain.

Craig Hubbard, Stuart Park

Mr Hubbard is the founder of Advocate NT.

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