History

Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) started its service 1963 at the height of immigration from the Chinese mainland and huge population growth. At that time, it was managed by the Medical and Health Department of the Hong Kong Government. Over the next thirty years it became the major hospital in central Kowloon, and the centre of tertiary referral from all over Hong Kong. In 1991, the Hospital Authority (HA), a Statutory Body, was established. The HA took over the management of all public hospitals in Hong Kong in 1992. Since then, QEH was jointly managed by the Hospital Authority and her own QEH Hospital Governing Committee.

Introduction

QEH is the largest hospital under the management of the Hospital Authority and offers a full complement of services to Hong Kong people. Located in the heart of Kowloon, QEH operates a 24-hour Accident and Emergency service and a full spectrum of specialist services. It provides medical care in both inpatient and specialist outpatient services. QEH is also a referral centre of the major specialties.

Mission Statement

• Providing quality hospital care to patients delivered by a team of competent professional staff using advanced facilities and technologies.
• Educating and training health professionals who care for patients, their families and the community, and who strive for professional and team development.
• Establishing partnerships with like-minded community organizations to achieve a healthy, progressive and productive community.
• Promoting health and a healthy lifestyle; and advocating a compassionate community and a caring family culture for the Hong Kong community.

Core Values

The hospital has adopted the following core values as a guiding principle in achieving her missions:

• Patient-oriented
• Resources conscious
• Sharing and caring
• Continuous improvement

Professional Ethics

Professional training is considered as one of our highest priorities. We put particular emphasis in the instigation of an ethical mind-set. The patient is our client and it is our responsibility to protect their benefits whilst under our care.

In recent years, we have formulated our own Code of Professional Ethics, which is promulgated to all professional staff.

PATIENT CENTRED CARE

RESPECT the life, dignity and rights of all patients, uninfluenced by their social status, culture, creed, politics, race or nationality.

• MAINTAIN THE HIGHEST STANDARD of professional competence. Continue to update and improve our professional knowledge and skill.
  
  
• BE HONEST in performing practice. Observe medical discipline and law. Ensure professional integrity not to be influenced by motives of personal gain.
  
  
• PRACTICE WITHIN THE SCOPE OF EDUCATION, training and experience. Refer to the appropriate health professionals when necessary.
  
  
• RESPECT THE PRIVACY of patients. Only discuss patient's problems with other related health professionals.
  
  
• GIVE INFORMATION TO PATIENTS IN A WAY THAT THEY CAN UNDERSTAND. Explain clearly to patients about their conditions and the proposed treatment plan. Obtain consent for any treatment procedures.
  
  
• OBTAIN FULL INFORMED CONSENT from patients participating in research programs. Patients should retain the right to withdraw from the research protocol at any time.

SHARING & CARING

• Keep up a HARMONIOUS TEAM SPIRIT among team members. Respect skills and contributions of other colleagues.
  
  
• Achieve JOINT DECISION among team members in the best interest of patients.

RESOURCE CONSCIOUS

• Ensure EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT use of public funds for quality patient service.

CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

• Continue in the PURSUIT OF KNOWLEDGE and improvement of skills.

CIVIC RESPONSIBILITIES

• PROVIDE HOSPITAL SERVICES TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC under all circumstances.
  
  
• Support and participate in ACTIVITIES RELATED TO IMPROVEMENT OF HEALTH and WELL BEING of the Community.
  
  
• KEEP POLITICALLY NEUTRAL when officially representing the Hospital.
  
  
• DO NOT MISLEAD OR DECEIVE THE PUBLIC. Do not publicise oneself.

Hospital Governing Committee

The Hospital Governing Committee of QEH was established in 1992 by the Hospital Authority Board to assist the Hospital Authority to oversee the management and operation of the Hospital. Members of the Hospital Governing Committee are community members nominated by the Hospital Authority. The membership list is as follows :

Chairman

Members

Facilities

When it opened in 1963, QEH was designed for 1,338 beds. With the explosion of the population and the ever-increasing demand for hospital services, the number of beds gradually increased to 2,200 in the late eighties. This resulted in extreme over-crowding. With effective management of bed utilization and reduced length of stay, QEH has been right-sized to 1,841 beds since 2005.

The hospital complex comprises a 13-storey main hospital building, and a number of supporting service blocks. The latest additions were the Ambulatory Care Centre which is a six-storey block providing for the specialist out-patient clinics and allied health treatment clinics and day surgery centre, and the Operating Theatre Block which houses 21 state-of-the-art operating theatres, and an expanded intensive care unit.

The major facilities provided at Queen Elizabeth Hospital are:

i) Accident & Emergency Department

About 45% of admissions to the hospital came through the Accident & Emergency Department which took care of 556 attendances on a average day in the year 2008. It is the prime treatment/co-ordinating centre for civil disasters and helicopter transferred patients.

ii) Clinical Departments

The clinical departments provide multi-disciplinary specialist care for both in-patients and out-patients. Apart from the main specialties of medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics, orthopaedics and traumatology, QEH also provides specialist care in clinical oncology, neurology, neurosurgery, reconstructive surgery, cardiology, nephrology, neonatology, hepatology, ENT surgery and ophthalmology, well supported by her pathology and diagnostic radiology departments.

The year 2008 recorded total admissions of 149,698 and 68,811 out-patient attendances, which average to 2,422 attendances per working day.

iii) Clinical Supporting Services

Other supporting & allied services include Central Sterile Supplies Unit, Clinical Psychology, Combined Endoscopy Unit, Electrographic Diagnostic Unit, Dietetics, Occupational Therapy, Operating Theatres, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, and Prosthetics & Orthotics.