uilding mutual trust between healthcare workers and patients is an important element in the successful provision of medical services - but it can sometimes be a challenge. The New Territories East Cluster recently organised a forum on patient engagement at the Prince of Wales Hospital, under the theme of 'Your Path, Our Journey', to provide staff with ideas for building good relationships with patients and their families. Well-known disc jockey Candy Chea moderated the discussion, which involved a panel of five frontline healthcare workers sharing their experiences in interacting with patients. Five of the many tips resulting from the forum are given below.

he Hospital Authority attaches great importance to talent development. A number of HA hospitals operate a Summer Student Internship Programme every year. For example, in the Kowloon West Cluster this year, about 100 college students took up different intern opportunities in the administration department, the community relations unit and the pharmacy unit. At Queen Mary Hospital, 225 students joined allied health departments to improve their understanding of departmental operations and assist with day-to-day tasks. And at Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, summer student volunteers provided clerical support and paid visits to patients in the Department of Oncology.

In the Finance arena, the HAHO Finance Division has been collaborating with the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants and local universities to provide around 10 Spring & Summer Internship opportunities every year for students since 2009. The programme provided pragmatic finance exposure in Head Office as well as hospitals. To attract future talent, the HAHO Finance Division also organises Sharing Sessions for interns to interact with the Finance management team.

Connie Wong, Cluster General Manager (Finance) of New Territories West Cluster, one of the clusters participated in the internship programme, said "The programme not only provided opportunity to interns to apply their financial knowledge in the workplace, but also helped us enhance our service delivery. For example, with the guidance from HA's colleagues, the interns produced a short video to teach elderly patients how to use the kiosk payment system ( http://havideo.
home/HAVOD/Content.aspx?channelid=8) to shorten the fees payment waiting time." She was impressed by their performance, innovative ideas and application of advance technology in the workplace.

ost women dream of wearing a wedding gown once in a lifetime. This was certainly among the last wishes of Minnie, a patient at Tuen Mun Hospital (TMH) who was suffering a terminal form of cancer.

To help make Minnie's dream come true, a group of staff members at the TMH decided to take action. They contacted a priest and various social workers and quickly arranged a small ward for the ceremony. Through the devoted efforts of the group, Minnie and her fiance were able to say "I do" in front of lawyers, priest, relatives and friends, and become a married couple.

Lo Mei Ling, an Advanced Practice Nurse of Medicine and Geriatrics helped to arrange the ward wedding. She recalls that "when I got this news, I arranged a small ward for Minnie - who by that stage needed to wear high-concentration oxygen mask - in just two or three hours."

Lo says that in more than 10 years as a nurse, this was the first time she had been part of a ward wedding for patients. "I always imagined that events like this only took place in TV dramas but, thanks to Minnie's deep-held wish, I have been blessed with the opportunity to experience it in real life. I now have an even greater appreciation of the sentiment that it's not the length of our lives that's most important, but how full they are of meaning and joy. We should always treasure the present moment."

Sadly, a few days after her ward wedding, Minnie passed away. But through the devotion of HA colleagues, she was at least able to fulfil a cherished life wish with her loved ones and all the blessings of hospital staff.