4 November 2025
Royal Darwin Hospital is currently experiencing capacity challenges due to an increase in the number of patients requiring ongoing acute care.
There are about 44 aged care patients occupying beds in Royal Darwin Hospital and Palmerston Regional Hospital because there are no beds available in residential aged care. This contributes to bed block by reducing the availability of inpatient beds and increasing wait times within the Emergency Department.
To manage the situation, a Code Yellow is now in place at Royal Darwin Hospital and Palmerston Regional Hospital.
A range of measures have been implemented to ease pressure and improve patient flow and discharges, and these will continue to be reviewed and adapted to mitigate the situation.
If you are experiencing a health emergency, call Triple Zero (000) and ask for an ambulance.
The Palmerston Urgent Care Care Clinic provides urgent medical care for non-emergencies.
If you are unsure of how to manage your illness or injury, visit www.healthdirect.gov.au [http://www.healthdirect.gov.au/?fbclid=IwAR2q8dU8p4mXIL66SYk1qAVe8AZf-33mSRId3gfEBMqjpljQ4aCxC8FctDs] or call Healthdirect for free on 1800 022 222.
Please be kind to our staff during these periods of high demand.
We thank our staff for their hard work during these periods of high demand to make sure Territorians continue to receive the best, patient centred care possible.
