Recruitment to strengthen nursing workforce

Hospital Authority has planned to recruit 2,130 nurses in 2017/18 to meet the rising demand for healthcare services. Lawrence Poon is optimistic about the situation – as HA has already recruited 1,842 nurses up to December last year, attaining 86% of the recruitment target. HA also plans to hire 2,200 nurses in 2018/19. He emphasises that HA will monitor closely the attrition and strive to retain staff concurrently.

He further explains that the new recruits would first be assigned for replenishing staff attrition, after which the remaining new force will be allocated to shortfall replenishment and supporting new services. It is projected that the increasing supply of nurse graduates allows HA to assign 330 nurses for shortfall replenishment in 2017/18, and the exercise is expected to be continued in subsequent years.

“There are over 25,000 nurses working for HA now. Better training, promotion and development opportunities are the cornerstones of talent retention,” expresses Lawrence Poon. In 2017/18, HA provides 36 overseas training programmes, subsudises around 550 nurses to pursue undergraduate programmes in nursing discipline or post‑registration nursing-related programmes, and sponsors 100 enrolled nurses to undertake clinical practicum of conversion programme.