‘Super Mum’ sows the seed of love

Alice Yiu Lai-ping
Department Operations Manager (Medicine and Therapeutics), Prince of Wales Hospital

“This is my second home. When I am at home, I care about everything,” says Alice Yiu, who has been working at the Prince of Wales Hospital (PWH) for 40 years. She embraces the people-centred purpose from the perspective of patients. After taking on the responsibility of Department Operations Manager, Alice has implemented several patient-centric measures to cater for the comprehensive needs of patients.

“Elderly patients, especially those suffer from dementia, may experience unstable emotions or anxiety when they are admitted to hospital. If their family members can stay by their side, they will be more willing to receive treatment at ease, speeding up their recovery, and thus achieving multiple benefits in one stroke.” In 2017, she took the lead to launch the initiative of ‘flexible visiting hours’. Not only does it facilitate visits by caregivers, it has also helped patients adapt to the environment of the hospital. The initiative has now been implemented on all medical wards and other departments.

Alice also noticed that some patients had to wait patiently at the Accident and Emergency Department for admission to the medical wards. In view of this, she worked together with the Central Nursing Division and other departments, formulated a robust system for bed management and proposed the concept of ‘hospital beds are for all people’ – all beds are centrally managed. Inter-department colleagues can engage and collaborate in flexible bed management under the support mechanism whenever necessary. After the implementation, medical nurses can use unused beds in other departments to receive patients. As a result, patients are able to receive early diagnosis and treatment. Nearly 98% of patients are admitted within four hours now, significantly improving patients’ safety.

Alice spreads her positive energy to the team. Under her guidance, seven nurse consultants, seven associate nurse consultants and nearly 100 specialty nurses are nurtured. She often encourages and helps her colleagues equip themselves, earning the title of ‘Super Mum’ at PWH. Outside the hospital, her son and daughter also devoted themselves to the nursing profession under her husband and her subtle influence. Alice unconsciously passes on her medical spirit to the next generation. She is retiring soon but she always cares about her patients. “I will be here whenever they need me.”