The Caritas Medical Centre's investigation has found the handling of the case in which a man died after collapsing outside the hospital on December 20 was 'suboptimal' and some staff members' response 'inadequate'.

Releasing the report today, the hospital said it is regrettable that, in the incident, the general services assistant asked the driver to call 999 - instead of providing immediate assistance.

Although she did call the ambulance controller at the Accident & Emergency Department a few minutes later, the hospital management recognises her response fell short of the expectation of the man seeking help.

On the A&E personnel's performance, the report said they have a duty to clarify messages from callers seeking urgent help, and should have asked the security guard to check the person's exact location immediately - not a few minutes later. The way the concerned staff handled the call was inadequate, the report says.

Recommendations

A number of improvement areas have been identified in the document. They include:

* enhancing responsiveness and preparedness for urgent external calls;

* procuring adequate life-saving equipment;

* strengthening training of key staff groups for basic life support and first aid treatment;

* improving external signage to guide road users to the hospital's A&E; and

* improving hospital spokespersons' presentation and media-handling skills.

Welcoming the report, Hospital Authority Chief Executive Shane Solomon said it documents an internal investigation and cannot deal with the matter of responsibilities among the parties involved.

Review group formed

Mr Solomon will chair a special review committee to assess responsibility for the incident and determine corresponding human resource actions as required.

Committee members include the authority's Human Resources Committee Chairman Dr Anthony Ho, the authority's Medical Services Development Committee Chairman Prof Fok Tai-fai, and the centre's Hospital Governing Committee Prof David Cheung. The committee will make decisions within six weeks.

He said a set of general principles for handling people who require emergency medical assistance in the vicinity of hospitals and clinics were promulgated today.

Each hospital and clinic must have a locally customised and flexible response plan to deal with the emergencies within their hospital's vicinity. The plan must be consistent with the authority's first priority - to save life and offer all reasonable assistance in emergencies.

Public hospitals and clinics will be provided with portable automatic external defibrillators, he added. Currently the authority has about 25 of them; it needs another 200. It will proceed with the equipment's purchase immediately, at a cost of about $4 million.

Gov't response

Secretary for Food & Health Dr York Chow said he hopes the authority can learn from the incident and refine the operation system of hospitals to provide quality medical services to the public.

He also supported the body's decision to form a committee to deal with the responsibility issues of the hospital staff concerned in accordance with the established mechanism.

"When handling life-and-death cases hospitals should have a sense of mission and empathy, in addition to following the Hospital Authority's directives. Healthcare workers should exercise teamwork in treating patients in critical condition and help people with urgent medical needs," Dr Chow said.

"I know the incident has sent shockwaves to the hospital's staff and dampened the morale of some. However, I am confident they will respond to the challenge and serve the community in a caring and positive manner."

For more details on the report click here.