Replies to LegCo questions
LCQ5: Security and complaint mechanism of Hospital Authority
Following is a question by the Dr Hon Helena Wong and a reply by the
Acting Secretary for Food and Health, Professor Sophia Chan, in the
Legislative Council today (February 20):
Question:
I have recently received a complaint from a nurse who said that two years
ago, there was an incident of a mentally-ill male patient in a strait
jacket being sexually assaulted by another male patient in a ward of the
public hospital in which the nurse worked, and that after receiving the
report on the incident by the nurse, the management of the hospital
neither alerted its supervisor nor reported the case to the Police, but
found fault with the nurse's work in the past year. Recently, it has been
reported in the press that there was another incident of a mentally-ill
patient being sexually assaulted in that hospital. In this connection,
will the Government inform this Council if it knows:
(a) the number of incidents of patients being sexually assaulted which
occurred in the general wards and psychiatric wards of each public
hospital in each of the past five years (set out in table form); whether
public hospitals have guidelines and mechanism for handling incidents of
patients being sexually assaulted; if they have, of the contents; if not,
the reasons for that;
(b) whether the Hospital Authority (HA) has reviewed the management,
operation, monitoring facilities and staffing arrangements of the wards of
public hospitals, so as to prevent the recurrence of sexual assault
incidents within hospitals as well as to protect the rights and dignity of
patients; if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(c) HA's procedures for handling complaints lodged by hospital staff about
hospital matters and whether such complaints are merely referred back to
the staff's serving hospitals eventually for handling by themselves; if
so, of the reasons for that; and whether there is any mechanism to ensure
that hospitals will not find fault with the staff who have lodged
complaints; if there is such a mechanism, of the details; if not, the
reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
The Hospital Authority (HA) attaches great importance to patients' safety
and dignity. For all conducts or complaints which may compromise a
patient's safety and dignity, HA will deal with them seriously according
to the established procedures.
My reply to the three parts of the question is as follows:
(a) Sexual assault is a serious matter involving criminality. HA has all
along been handling such incidents seriously. When there are cases
involving sexual assault, HA will report them to the Police and provide
assistance and support to the affected patients and their family members.
Since 2007, HA has launched the Advanced Incident Reporting System, under
which sexual assault is categorised as one of the reportable incidents.
Apart from reporting to his/her immediate supervisor, the staff member
concerned is required to report the incident through the System to the HA
management and HA Head Office so that they are made aware of the incident
as soon as possible, and where necessary, can take appropriate action to
safeguard the interests of the patient.
Moreover, HA has established the Central Committee on Hospital Security to
review various aspects of the security issues of hospitals, including
potential security problems associated with sexual assault cases. Members
of the Committee include representatives from the Quality and Safety
Division, Business Support and Development Division, Nursing Services
Division and Corporate Services Division of the HA's Head Office, as well
as the seven Hospital Clusters. The Committee seeks to formulate service
standards, policies and guidelines; monitor the security work of
hospitals; and implement relevant improvement measures to ensure patients'
safety and dignity.
According to HA's record, between 2007-08 and 2011-12, there were 13
reported cases of patients being sexually assaulted in public hospitals,
among which seven occurred in psychiatric wards and six in general wards.
These cases had been reported through the Advanced Incident Reporting
System and the Central Committee on Hospital Security. Out of these 13
cases, 12 had been reported to the Police. The remaining one which
occurred in psychiatric ward, according to record, involved a patient
under the influence of mental conditions having physical contacts with
another patient of the same sex in the same ward. Healthcare personnel at
that time took immediate action by offering appropriate clinical
arrangement. The patient contacted and the family members refused to
report the case to the Police.
(b) All wards of hospitals are attended by ward attendants 24 hours a day
for taking care of patients. HA has also put in place various safety
measures including ward entrance control and surveillance system. On the
premise of protecting the privacy of patients, HA has installed convex
mirrors and closed-circuit television in appropriate locations to enhance
safety monitoring.
Security staff will patrol the hospital and ward areas regularly so as to
provide support to wards as and when necessary. HA will review its
security operation from time to time to prevent unlawful conducts.
(c) The staff complaint and appeal mechanism and relevant handling
procedures have been prescribed in the human resources policy of HA. Upon
receipt of a staff complaint, HA will, having regard to relevant mechanism
and procedures and the nature of the complaint, refer the case involving
matters of individual hospital or cluster to that hospital or cluster for
investigation and reverting to the complainant on the result.
If a complainant is not satisfied with the investigation results, he/she
may lodge an appeal to the respective Cluster Chief Executive or Hospital
Governing Committee. Subject to the content and nature of the complaint,
the Cluster Chief Executive or Hospital Governing Committee may set up an
independence committee where necessary to investigate the appeal case and
make a report and recommendations to ensure that the case is dealt with
fairly.
If the complainant is still not satisfied with the appeal results, he/she
may further lodge an appeal to the Staff Appeals Committee under HA Board,
which comprises non-executives appointed by HA Board, for a final
decision.
Apart from the above mechanism, HA Head Office will monitor the handling
of complaints by hospitals. Such monitoring measures include requiring all
hospitals to report regularly the details, investigation progress and
results of staff complaint cases. The Head Office will also submit an
annual report to the Human Resources Committee under the HA Board.
It is clearly stated in HA's human resources policy that staff members
will not be punished if they lodge a complaint in good faith and with
reasonable grounds. Complainants may make an appeal if they feel they have
been unfairly treated and HA will handle it seriously in accordance with
the relevant procedures.
Ends/Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Issued at HKT 16:47
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