Nurse Consultant helps create elite team of community nurses

Chim Chun-king, Nurse Consultant (Community) from New Territories East Cluster’s Community Outreach Services Team, received an Outstanding Nurse Award from the Association of Hong Kong Nursing Staff in 2015. She is passionate about encouraging her colleagues to continuously strengthen their clinical knowledge and advanced skill, particularly when it may help reduce the pressure on inpatient services by allowing individuals to receive professional healthcare treatment at home.

Chim Chun-king has been a nurse for over a quarter of century. Earlier in her career, she worked in Accident and Emergency Departments and rehabilitation unit , but in 2001 she took up responsibility for the community nurse team. During her tenure as head of the team, she has vigorously promoted the concept of specialty training. “No matter how talented or capable I might be, I am only one person and can only help a limited number of patients at a time. But if my colleagues are all high performers, we can help many patients,” she explains. “I have therefore always encouraged the members of my team to study after work to expand their knowledge and enhance their clinical skills and to be open-minded in how they approach situations. Honestly, it was quite a challenge in the beginning as my nurses are all so busy. Suggesting that they start with a practice area of particular personal interest in some specialties was very effective in breaking down their initial resistance.”

This emphasis on continual learning has paid off and the team of community nurses is now considered an ‘elite squad’ that is helping to reduce the burden placed on hospital facilities. In 2014, pre-admission assessment of patients during the winter surge by the team at Prince of Wales Hospital led to around 50% of cases being sent home with arrangements for follow-up visits by a community nurse, which significantly eased demand for inpatient beds. In the meantime, the average hospital stay following treatment for breast cancer patients has been cut from nine to two days, with follow-up and monitoring procedures such as the removal of drainage catheters being completed by community nurses in the comfort and familiarity of the patient’s home. The team also implements the innovative practice “Intra-pleural Catheter Home Care Services” to support lung cancer patient with malignant pleural effusion by empowering patient and carer the self-management skill to drain out pleural fluid from lung to reduce the symptom of shortness of breath.

Chim says one of her most memorable experiences involved cleaning and dressing the surgical wounds and fistula of a stomach cancer patient. “We had to handle the procedure incredibly carefully because if we made the slightest mistake, the patient’s intestinal fluid would burn the surrounding skin, which would be very painful and unpleasant for the patient. Each time we cleaned and managed the fistula and wound it took over two to three hours.”

Chim’s achievements as a clinical nurse and an inspiring leader have enabled her to create an elite team of community nurses that is committed to providing the best possible nursing services to the community.

Nurse Chim (centre, front row) visited the UK last year and was impressed by the level and quality of community nursing services. She is now considering whether any of the positive practices she witnessed could be adapted for use in Hong Kong.