Replies to LegCo questions
LCQ13: Specialist out-patient service
Following is a question by the Hon Abraham Shek and a written reply by the Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works, Dr Sarah Liao (in the absence of the Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food), in the Legislative Council today (January 18):
Question :
Regarding the waiting time for specialist out-patient service provided by the
Hospital Authority, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the current number of specialties in the specialist out-patient service;
(b) of the current waiting time for each of the above specialist service; and
(c) if there were cases in which the clinical conditions of patients of chronic
illness irreversibly worsened or even became terminal in the past year as a
result of the excessively long waiting time?
Reply:
Madam President,
(a) There are 16 specialties in the specialist outpatient clinics (SOPCs) of the
Hospital Authority (HA).
(b) The median waiting time (in weeks) for first appointment of consultation at
HA's SOPCs by specialty for the six month period from April to September 2005 is
given in the Table.
(c) The HA has received complaints from time to time from SOPC patients or their
families about long waiting time for first appointment which allegedly may have
led to a deterioration of patients' clinical conditions. Upon receipt of such
complaints, the HA will commence investigations to review the decisions of its
medical staff, including whether the date of first appointment was set in a
reasonable and appropriate manner. In 2004-05, the Public Complaints Committee
of the HA, which comprises entirely members independent of HA's management,
handled a total of three complaints on long waiting time. Investigation had been
completed in all three cases, of which none could be substantiated.
As a matter of fact, the HA has taken measures to ensure that SOPC patients in
urgent clinical conditions are given appropriate treatment in a timely manner.
Under the current triage system at HA's SOPCs, the date for first appointment of
consultation for new patients is arranged on the basis of the urgency of the
patient's clinical conditions at the time of referral, taking into account
various factors including the patient's clinical history, the presenting
symptoms and the findings from physical examination and investigations. The
referring doctors play a critical role in facilitating the proper triaging of
the patients, by providing as much information as possible regarding the
patients' clinical conditions and stating clearly their assessment of the
urgency of the patients' case in their referral letters.
At HA's SOPCs, referrals of new patients are usually screened first by a nurse
and then by a doctor in the relevant specialty and classified into one of the
following categories: Priority one cases for patients with the most urgent
medical needs; Priority two cases for patients with comparatively less urgent
medical needs; and routine cases for patients where medical needs do not appear
to be urgent. In order to ensure that patients with urgent medical needs are
attended to within a reasonable time, the HA has targeted to keep the median
waiting time for Priority one and two cases within two weeks and eight weeks
respectively. In addition, to ensure that no urgent medical conditions are
overlooked at the initial triage, all referrals that have been classified as
routine cases would be double-checked by a senior doctor in the relevant
specialty within seven working days of the triaging.
While an elaborate screening and triaging system is in place in the HA, there is
a possibility that a patient's conditions may change and require an earlier
appointment which will be offered, if need be, after assessment.
Ends/Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Issued at HKT 12:21
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Annex to LCQ13