Page 149 - HA Convention 2015

Symposiums

S11.1 Hands Together for Better Healthcare 13:15 Convention Hall C

Transforming the Horizon on Patient Resources Centres in Hospital Authority — Governance, Structure and Tuesday, 19 May
Core Services
Fung SKS
Department of Medicine and Geriatrics, Princess Margaret Hospital, Hong Kong

Enhancing partnership with patients and community is one of the corporate’s priorities and strategic directions of the
Hospital Authority (HA). By empowering patients and carers with disease information and availability of community
resources, they will be in a better position to manage their own disease and the self-care, especially those with chronic
conditions. This also helps discharged patients empowering them to form supporting networks and to nurture their abilities
in helping themselves and the others. Currently in HA, there are more than 200 patient groups associated with our 39
Patient/Health Resources Centres (PRCs), which are involving over 90,000 patients and their carers. The services of PRCs
aim to promote psychosocial support and community integration for patients and carers, establish platforms for patient and
carer empowerment and self-management, and act as an interface in engaging patients, carers, volunteers and community
organisations to work as partners hands-together in healthcare delivery.

Since the inception of the HA, Patient/Health Resources Centres (PRCs) were established in the hospitals. The initial role that
PRCs took up was mainly a knowledge provider, which provides disease information to patients, equipping them with skills
in managing their own health, as well as developing volunteer services to support patients in the hospitals. With collaborative
effort at cluster and corporate level, the journey towards patient empowerment and engagement has been evolving
remarkably well over the past 20 years. Noting the need for enhancing partnership with patients, PRCs involve patients
to contribute in self-help groups and liaise with clinical departments in building patients’ skills and confidence in helping
amongst themselves. At the corporate level, a robust governance structure is now in place to align services and strategies
across PRCs to better support patient groups and patient care.

Leveraging on such corporate directions and initiatives, PRCs has been gradually developing network and rapport with
local patients, patient groups and community stakeholders. Foci on different areas in facilitating patient empowerment and
engagement are formed under well-defined governance structure.

This presentation will introduce the governance structure of PRCs at cluster and corporate level, as well as the core services
of PRCs including: (1) Patient/carer empowerment and support; (2) Support to patient groups; (3) Volunteer service and
development; and (4) Community engagement and partnership. Various programmes on collaboration between PRCs
and with ex-patients, patient self-help groups, volunteers, as well as partnership with clinical departments and healthcare
professionals on the four core services of PRCs that were implemented in the Clusters on the four core services of PRCs will
be shared. Their outcomes and impacts on boosting the confidence and strength in disease management for patients and
their carers; enhancing communication and building trust between healthcare professionals and patients will be elaborated.

HA will continue to strengthen the function of PRCs by launching different patient empowerment initiatives. It aims by
promoting cohesion among individual, social and service levels in supporting our patients and carers both in and out of the
hospitals.

HOSPITAL AUTHORITY CONVENTION 2015

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