Cares of the city on our shoulders
Nurses show they are willing to meet challenges of an ageing population and rising expectations
How far are you willing to go? This question trending on social media comes from the inspirational local indie film about a group of breakdancers chasing their dreams.
While it may be primarily about challenging one's personal baselines, it's also a pertinent question for the Hospital Authority. Facing an ever-increasing demand due to the ageing population and rising expectations, how far is the authority willing to go to safeguard patients' best interests?
On the issue of nursing manpower, which is directly under my guidance, there has been steady progress in the past five years - with the number of nurses rising from 19,866 to 22,759, a net growth of 14.6 per cent. I can reassure you our efforts will not stop here - more than 2,000 nurses will join the authority every year for the next five years.
Of course, meeting demand must be about quality of care as well as the quantity of carers. This is best seen in our continued development of the specialist outpatient clinics, where more than 420 well-trained nurses handle non-emergency cases, providing professional care like triage, wound cleaning, suturing and so on.
The number of accredited nurse clinics has increased from 34 in 2008 to 152, and cover over 20 specialties.
A pilot scheme to introduce nurse clinics into accident and emergency departments has also been under way since 2012 and the service has been extended to five acute hospitals. This does not simply focus on early diagnosis and treatment; there is an emphasis on working with patients in a more holistic way to stabilise their conditions and maximise their health.
Patients suffering from chronic diseases, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and kidney failure, need extra care, and here nurse clinics play an important role. The provision of patient education, empowerment, counselling and psychological support greatly improves patients' confidence in self-care. Better management of health control avoids unnecessary hospital admission. Hence, the outcome of a nurse clinic is measured in terms of its effectiveness in controlling symptoms, preventing complications, specific practice outcomes and patient satisfaction.
