Minutes of Hospital Authority Board Meeting held on Thursday 17 December 2015 at 4:30p.m. in Conference Hall, 2/F, HA Building, 147B Argyle Street, Kowloon Present : Prof John LEONG Chi-yan, SBS, JP (Chairman) Dr Constance CHAN, JP Director of Health Prof Francis CHAN Ka-leung, JP Mr William CHAN Fu-keung, BBS Ms Anita CHENG Ms Quince CHONG Wai-yan, JP Mr Andrew FUNG Hau-chung, JP Mr Ricky FUNG Choi-cheung, SBS, JP Mr HO Wing-yin Mr Lester Garson HUANG, JP Dr KAM Pok-man Prof Diana LEE Tze-fan Mr Stephen LEE Hoi-yin Dr P Y LEUNG, JP Chief Executive Prof Raymond LIANG Hin-suen, SBS, JP Ms Bella MUI Representing Deputy Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury (Treasury)1 Ms Winnie NG
- 2 - Mr PANG Yiu-kai, SBS, JP Mr Ivan SZE Wing-hang, BBS Mr WONG Kwai-huen, BBS, JP Ms Priscilla WONG Pui-sze, JP Prof Maurice YAP Keng-hung, JP Mr Jason YEUNG Chi-wai Mr Charlie YIP Wing-tong Mr Richard YUEN, JP Permanent Secretary for Food and Health (Health) Miss Margaret CHEUNG Head of Corporate Services (Secretary) Absent with : apology (*Out of HK) * Ms CHIANG Lai-yuen, JP * Prof Gabriel LEUNG, GBS, JP Dr LO Wai-kwok, SBS, MH, JP In attendance : Dr Derrick AU Director (Quality and Safety) Dr N T CHEUNG Head of Information Technology and Health Informatics Dr T Y CHUI Cluster Chief Executive (Kowloon East) Dr K L CHUNG Deputising Director (Cluster Services) Dr C T HUNG, JP Cluster Chief Executive (New Territories East) Dr Tony KO Cluster Chief Executive (New Territories West) Dr C C LAU Cluster Chief Executive (Hong Kong East)
- 3 - Dr Theresa LI Head of Human Resources Dr S V LO Director (Strategy and Planning) Dr C C LUK Cluster Chief Executive (Hong Kong West) Dr K F WONG Representing Cluster Chief Executive (Kowloon Central) Dr Nancy TUNG, MH Cluster Chief Executive (Kowloon West) Ms Mary YUNG Representing Director (Finance) Mr Frankie YIP Chief Manager (Corporate Communication) Dr K M CHOY Chief Manager (Service Transformation) Dr Leo CHAN Senior Manager (Transformation Projects) [For discussion of HAB Paper No. 231 Dr Eric ZIEA Chief (Chinese Medicine Department) [For discussion of HAB Papers No. 233 Dr LEE Kam-cheong Consultant Pathologist, Princess Margaret Hospital, Kowloon West Cluster [For discussion of HAB Papers No. 235 Mr Andy LAU Chief Manager (Boards & General) Ms Natalia LI Senior Manager (Boards & Support) Ms Eva HUI Manager (Boards & Support)
- 4 - In attendance (Attachees of the Corporate Development Programme) : Dr Summer CHAN Senior Health Informatician (Clinical Innovation, Quality Assurance & Risk Management), Information Technology and Health Informatics Division, Hospital Authority Head Office (HAHO) Mr Alex CHEUNG Manager (Group Internal Audit), Group Internal Audit, HAHO Ms Josephine CHIU Senior Finance Manager, Finance Services Division, Hong Kong East Cluster Ms Amber LAM Senior Systems Manager(Clinical Departmental Systems Section), Information Technology and Health Informatics Division, HAHO Ms Christina OR Senior Finance Manager (Financial Accounting), New Territories West Cluster Dr K Y PANG Deputizing Service Director, Quality & Safety Division, Hong Kong East Cluster / Consultant, Neurosurgery, Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital
- 5 - Declaration of Interest The Chairman invited Members to declare conflict of interest, if any, arising from the agenda items of, or discussion at, the meeting. There was no declaration from Members. Confirmation of Minutes 2. The draft minutes of the Board Meeting held on 24 September 2015 were confirmed with the following amendments printed in italics as proposed by Prof Diana LEE: - Paragraph 18 : Prof Diana LEE asked whether the patients families would actively participate in the formulation of the Advanced Care Plan for patients. Matters Arising 3. There was no outstanding item arising from the minutes of the last meeting. Report on Outcomes of the Administrative & Operational Meeting 4. The Chairman reported that the following matters were discussed or noted by the Hospital Authority (HA) Board at the Administrative and Operational Meeting held on 17 December 2015 : i. Re-grouping of Hospitals - Implementation Blueprints; ii. iii. iv. Appointment of Hospital Chief Executive of North District Hospital; Hospital Authority s Organisation-wide Risk Management Improvement Progress; Membership of the Trust Board of the Hospital Authority Provident Fund Scheme; v. Progress Update on Formulation of the Hospital Authority Strategic Plan 2017-2022; vi. vii. Senior Executives Staff Changes; 25 th Anniversary of Hospital Authority; viii. Hospital Authority s Participation in Hong Kong Special
- 6 - Administrative Region Government s Appreciate HK Campaign; ix. Hospital Authority Receiving Award from Macao Special Administrative Region Government; and x. Progress Reports of Committees of the Hospital Authority Board. General Outpatient Clinic Public-Private Partnership Programme : Update on the Progress of the Interim Review and the Proposed Roll-Out Plan (HA Board Paper No. 231) 5. Dr Leo CHAN updated Members on the background, objectives, progress and initial findings on the key issues identified in the interim review of the General Outpatient Clinic Public-Private Partnership (GOPC PPP) Programme (the Programme). Members were also briefed on the proposed roll-out plan of the Programme. 6. Ms Quince CHONG enquired about what percentage would the programme, with reference to the adjusted target 6,400 patient places for 2015/16 which would be further adjusted to 8,400 each for 2016/17 and 2017/18, constitute against the HA overall GOPC caseload. Dr Leo CHAN explained that each patient enrolled in the Programme would receive up to 10 subsidised consultations by Private Medical Practitioners (PMPs), contributing to a maximum of 64,000 consultations per year. Relevant capacities so relieved in HA GOPCs could be utilized by other patients in genuine need. Dr K M CHOY supplemented that whilst the capacity so provided only represented a very small percentage against the millions of GOPC quotas provided by HA annually, the Programme currently was only focusing on a few chronic conditions with relatively low clinical risks, such as high blood pressure and diabetes mellitus. The target at the current stage was to ensure safe running of the Programme, through which experiences were gained for forming a solid foundation for further development of the Programme. 7. In response to Ms Chong s another enquiry about the reasons of those patients subsequently decided to leave the Programme, Dr Leo CHAN replied that there were different reasons / circumstances, including relocation of the PMPs to other districts, while some patients were more accustomed to the public healthcare system. That said, general feedback from patients staying in the Programme indicated that they welcomed the flexible business hours and convenient locations of the private clinics. Dr K M CHOY added that the majority of the patients who joined the Programme had stayed in the Programme and
- 7 - some of those who returned to HA were indeed for specialist services which were not covered in the Programme. HA would keep close monitoring of the trend. 8. Noting that a risk management consultancy study would be commissioned to provide an overall interim review of the Programme and to develop a risk management framework, Ms Quince CHONG asked whether the findings of the consultancy study would have any impact on the planned roll-out plan. Dr K M CHOY and Dr Leo CHAN said that while it was planned to roll out the Programme to all seven clusters in 2016/17 covering the nine additional districts, the plan would be suitably fine-tuned taking into account the findings of the consultancy study to be conducted by an external agent, which was expected to be available in a few months time. 9. Members noted the findings and recommendations of the interim review of the Programme, and endorsed the proposed roll-out plan of the Programme as outlined in the paper. Winter Surge Preparation (HA Board Paper No. 232) 10. Dr K L CHUNG briefed Members on HA s overall response plan on monitoring and preparing for the 2015/16 winter surge. Members noted that the key strategies developed by the Task Force on Winter Surge included : (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) Enhancing infection control measures; Managing demand in community; Gate-keeping to reduce unnecessary admission; Improving patient flow; Optimising and augmenting buffer capacity; Reprioritising core activities; and Enhancing communication with the public. 11. In reply to the enquiry from Mr Andrew FUNG about the distribution of PMPs among different districts, Dr K L CHUNG said that the public were usually more concerned about the availability of PMPs during holidays. The availability of private doctors in different districts would, however, highly depend on whether individual doctors would take vacation leave or continue operation during the holidays. Members of the public could obtain information about private doctors in different districts, including during long holidays, from a list on the website of the Hong Kong Medical Association (HKMA). Last year, based on the list of HKMA, HA had taken extra effort to update the list for the public s information. For this year, HA had already liaised with
- 8 - HKMA to ensure that the list on their website would be timely updated for public access to avoid duplication of effort. 12. Mr PANG Yiu-kai commented that the vaccination rate among elderlies could be further boosted up through different measures, such as providing vaccination at Old Age Homes (OAHs) for the residents and workers, and at community centres where elderlies used to gather. District Councilors could also be engaged to help encourage vaccination in the community. Besides, promotion on vaccination among staff should also be strengthened to increase staff vaccination rate. Dr Constance CHAN responded that vaccination at OAHs for their residents and workers had been started some years ago and the vaccination rate among residents was satisfactory at around 80%. Other elderlies in the community were also encouraged through different channels in the established community network to receive vaccination at GOPCs of HA, Elderly Health Centres of Department of Health, or private clinics. (Mr Y K PANG left the meeting at this juncture.) Progress Update on the Development of Integrated Chinese- Western Medicine Pilot Programme (HA Board Paper No. 233) 13. Dr Eric ZIEA briefed Members on the progress of the Phase I implementation and planning of the Phase II of the Integrated Chinese-Western Medicine (ICWM) Pilot Programme (Pilot Programme). 14. Members noted from the observations gathered from the internal interim review of the Phase I Pilot Programme, which involved three hospital sites namely Tung Wah Hospital, Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital and Tuen Mun Hospital, that the Pilot Programme was in smooth operation and participating patients were satisfied with the programme arrangement. Based on the feedbacks and experiences gained through the Phase I implementation, Phase II of the Pilot Programme was planned for implementation in three to four additional hospital sites including Tung Wah Group of Hospitals, Pok Oi Hospital and Yan Chai Hospital in December 2015. (Ms Quince CHONG left the meeting at this juncture.) Chief Executive s Progress Report on Strategic Priorities (HA Board Paper No. 234) 15. Dr P Y LEUNG updated Members on the implementation
- 9 - progress of HA s strategic priorities for the fourth quarter of 2015 (4Q15). Among the 16 targets planned for completion in 4Q15 including 11 on corporate targets and five on cluster targets, 13 were achieved on schedule and three programmes were in progress. Cluster Presentation Programme Kowloon West Cluster - Innovation in Specimen Identification and Patient Safety (HA Board Paper No. 235) 16. Dr K C LEE briefed Members on the project of the innovation of a laboratory specimen tracking system designed and developed by the Department of Pathology of Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) to ensure accuracy in the identification of specimen and hence enhance patient safety. The innovative approach to specimen identification, the advantage of the novel design and the effectiveness of the system and staff acceptance were highlighted. In fact, with the positive results, the system had been adopted for large scale implementation in HA in 2015, rolling out to other HA hospitals. 17. Dr P Y LEUNG said that the system innovated by PMH was a unique system in the service and had helped enhance patient safety significantly. He appreciated the dedication of HA staff in devoting tremendous effort and talent in exploring innovative ways to strive for continuous improvement in patient services. (Dr Constance CHAN left the meeting at this juncture.) Date of Next Meeting 18. The next Open Board Meeting was scheduled for Thursday 24 March 2016 at 3:30p.m. in the Conference Hall, HA Building. 19. There being no other business, the meeting was adjourned at 5:35 pm. Hospital Authority HAB\MINUTES\64 MC/NL/wm 1 February 2016