New measures aim to prevent blunders in public hospitals

The Hospital Authority yesterday announced six ways it aims to raise its game after a series of medical blunders that have hit public confidence in the health care system.

But unions and patient groups said they were worried that the new measures would increase pressure on frontline medical workers and might, therefore, make service quality worse.

Authority chief executive Shane Solomon said at a board meeting that hospital staff would be consulted about the measures over the next three months.

The authority will widen the definition of events that would need to be reported publicly. In the past, only blunders resulting in a patient's death or permanent harm were made public. Now all mistakes that could result in serious harm to a patient would be reported, even if no harm actually occurred.

The authority said it would also enhance peer review and patient feedback. Doctors and administrators would inspect wards and 'listen to the concerns of frontline staff', said the authority's director of quality and safety, Dr Leung Pak-yin.

Drug prescription and dispensing will be improved over the next year. Measures include replacing loose tablets with blister packs and removing high-risk medications from wards.