Kudos to all of you (1)

Spokepersons at ‘430 Press Briefing’

“Amidst the coronavirus outbreak, we are taking up another role as a spokesperson at the ‘430 Press Briefing’, responsible for delivering updates on the situation and HA’s measures in combating COVID-19 clearly and accurately to keep our staff and the public on an even keel. We first attend Central Command Committee meeting to understand better the internal policy and details on the countermeasures, followed by a discussion on the agenda of the press briefing with our team at 3pm. Then, at 4pm, we would arrive at the venue to coordinate with officers from the Department of Health. At 4:30pm, let’s work!

This is our first time being spokespersons. We were naturally nervous being in front of the cameras and bombarded with sharp questions. We understand that journalists would expect we would answer all queries. However, as some issues are still under investigation and discussion, not until the comprehensive information is available would we be able to inform the public of the details.”

Dr Lau Ka-hin (left)
Chief Manager (Quality & Standards)

Dr Linda Yu (middle)
Chief Manager (Clinical Effectiveness & Technology Management)

Dr Sara Ho (right)
Chief Manager (Patient Safety & Risk Management)

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Communicating with speed and accuracy

“In the wake of the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Hong Kong before Lunar New Year, widespread public concern and anxiety had given rise to endless rumours. During the Lunar New Year holidays, we relentlessly answered media enquiries and clarified rumours circulating on the Internet. On the other hand, we offered prompt support in producing hospital banners and posters, and updating hospital websites and on-site broadcasts. Subsequent to a staff member of Shek Wu Hui Jockey Club General Out-patient Clinic being confirmed with COVID-19 infection on 7 April evening, we immediately made public announcements about the new service arrangements of the clinic. It was another race against time.

Amid the outbreak, we must stay calm and consolidate all information from various sources in the shortest possible time. We sometimes worked until midnight to meet the publication deadline. Despite the hard work in the past few months, it is motivating to witness the sense of mission of our frontline staff and that the information we provided has given a clearer picture of the situation.”

Lam Hoi-yung (left)
Manager (Communications and Community Relations)
Prince of Wales Hospital

Man Kiu-hong (right)
Manager (Communications & Community Relations)
North District Hospital

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Round-the-clock hotline support

“In late January, the Central Command Committee decided to set up a Staff Support Hotline for direct communication with colleagues and offer timely support. Some of us from Human Resources Department were responsible for coordinating the hotline service. We managed to set up a hotline service room at Head Office as well as a database system within a day, which includes enquiry records, FAQs, useful websites and helpline numbers. We shared the experience and skills required in handling the enquiries with our team members. To date, we have received around 1,800 enquiries via WhatsApp and calls. We are truly grateful for the support from various departments for the formation of the hotline team at full tilt to solve colleagues’ puzzles day and night.”

Simon Cheng (left)
Senior Manager (Training & Development)
Human Resources Department
Head Office

“I am delighted to have joined colleagues from different departments in answering the staff hotline. To address colleagues’ enquiries to the best of our knowledge, we often take reference from the database built by our hotline team, COVID-19 Bulletin, internal circulars and the government policies. In case of complicated issues, rather than passing the matter to the responsible colleagues for follow-up, I would take a step forward to get a clearer picture of the issue from the concerned department. Colleagues may be emotional at times when making queries. Yet, if we handle with attention and sincerity, I’m sure they will understand. By acting as a bridge for communication, we hope to set our frontline staff’s worries aside and motivate them in this uphill battle against COVID-19.”

Victor Chan (right)
Internal Auditor
Head Office

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Expeditious delivery of PPE

“Due to the rampant epidemic, governments around the world are spending tremendous effort in procuring personal protective equipment (PPE), coupled with export ban in some countries, we are running up against a worldwide shortage of PPE. Here in Hong Kong, our colleagues from the Procurement Department have been continuing their endeavour to source PPE globally, while others are actively exploring substitutes. Our warehouse keepers are deeply aware that the hard-earned PPE must be delivered to our frontline medical staff as soon as possible, so that they can concentrate on combating the virus. Therefore, whenever the cargos are delivered, we will speed up the inspection, inventory checking and distribution to the warehouse of different departments.”

William Chan
Assistant Supplies Officer
Cluster Procurement and Materials Management Unit
New Territories West Cluster