The Leisure & Cultural Services Department should improve its internal and external communication, the Ombudsman says, as the recent bloodworm incidents in public pools have highlighted its lax crisis management.

The Ombudsman's report into the bloodworms issue, released today, found it was an administrative and public relations fiasco, and a consequence of:

* insufficient focus on the possibility of natural occurrence;

* communication gaps in the department's directorate;

* undue haste in responding to media requests;

* inexperience in media relations and public information;

* insufficient transparency in the release of information; and,

* lack of support from the department's headquarters.

Director of Leisure & Cultural Services Anissa Wong agreed there was a gap in communication, saying she had misplaced confidence in the Assistant Director who she said was not alert enough to sensitive or critical issues.

The department accepts the Ombudsman's comments and will strive to implement them. It apologised for the inconvenience caused to the public, and will continue enhancing pool management.

Recommendations

The Ombudsman's recommendations include:

* increasing the sampling frequency for bacteriological and chemical examination of pool water;

* reviewing the schedule and specifications for cleansing operations, taking into account the design of pools and ancillary features;

* reviewing frequency and requirement for cleansing of pools and surrounding areas;

* putting in place a monitoring programme of follow-up inspections to ensure cleansing has been carried out satisfactorily;

* providing training to frontline staff to strengthen their knowledge in public hygiene, pest control and sampling techniques; and,

* reviewing and, if necessary, revising the design of pools under planning.

The department should enhance two-way communication between its headquarters and frontline staff, and review its approach and mechanism in deciding lines of response for release of information to the public to ensure accuracy and transparency.

It should also provide media and crisis management training to its senior managerial and directorate staff to enhance their ability to handle media relations and crisis situations.

For details of the Ombudsman's report click here.