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HOSPITAL AUTHORITY CONVENTION 2016  Special Topics

                                    T11.1  Patient Catering and Laundry Services Management in  10:45  Room 221
                                           Hospital Authority

                                    Food Safety Management System in Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital
                                    Li H
                                    Hong Kong East Cluster, Hospital Authority, Hong Kong

                                    Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital (PYNEH) operates a Central Production Unit (CPU) with a staff of 70 full-time
                                    equivalents (FTE). The annual output of 1,800,000kg feeds patients from nine hospitals in the Hospital Authority (HA). With a
                                    floor area of approximately 2000m2, it is one of the largest CPU in the HA.

                                    The CPU was built in the mid-90s with workflow and processes designed according to the concept of Hazard Analysis
                                    Critical Control Point (HACCP). The service was once certified under ISO 9000. As time went by, the safety awareness among
                                    CPU staff had been diminishing when attention had been shifted to other priorities including cost control and environmental
                                    protection. Ageing equipment aggravated the situation when staff had to compromise their practices to cope with the
                                    declining performance of the equipment.

                                    A few incidents involving food safety rang the bell. The department management took an initiative to review the entire
                                    workflow and implement a new Food Safety Management System. There is a defined governance structure with a Food
                                    Safety Policy. Quality and safety controls at the Critical Points (CCP) are identified. Prerequisite programmes (PRP) with
                                    appropriate facilities and equipment harness the infrastructure for production of safe food. Traceability of the food has been
                                    enhanced under a documented system and continuous improvement is possible through auditing and staff training.

                                    Designing a new system is no challenging work compared to the efforts of implementation. It is a cultural change especially
                                    when the staff members are expected to change their work habits. Some changes might be perceived as unnecessary
                                    or inefficient by the staff but they are critical to food safety. Staff engagement is the key to success. Like any safety
                                    management system in the hospital, the Food Safety Management System complements total patient safety.

                                    T11.2  Patient Catering and Laundry Services Management in  10:45  Room 221
                                           Hospital Authority

Wednesday, 4 May                    Enhanced Process Control of Laundry Services in Hospital Authority
                                    Lui A
                                    Business Support Services Department, Hospital Authority, Hong Kong

                                    The Hospital Authority (HA) inherited 17 laundries of various sizes providing in-house services to the HA hospitals and
                                    government outpatient clinics in 1991. Through rationalisation and re-organisation over the years aiming at improving overall
                                    efficiency and cost-effectiveness, the number of in-house laundries was reduced from 17 to 10 in 2000. The option of inviting
                                    commercial contractors to operate laundries or partial services has also been introduced in a few sites later on to enhance
                                    productivity and flexibility. The current required laundry service capacity of the HA is about 45  Mn Kg annually and is
                                    provided by four modes of delivery including (1) HA in-house operation; (2) HA laundries operated by contractors; (3) laundries
                                    operated by Correctional Services Department (CSD); and (4) commercial contractors.

                                    Laundry service management in the HA is under the purview of Business Support Services Department (BSSD), which is
                                    responsible for corporate planning and development of laundry services in the HA and coordination for urgent back-up and
                                    contingency support in emergency or disaster situations. The corresponding functional committee, the Supporting Services
                                    Development Committee under the HA Board, advises on the related direction and policy. At hospital level, monitoring and
                                    management, risk assessment and improvement planning of the laundry service are overseen by a committee chaired by
                                    Cluster General Manager or General Manager (Administrative Services) and are reported to Hospital Management Committee
                                    or equivalent under the management of Cluster Chief Executive.

                                    The investigation of the incident of mucormycosis infection at Queen Mary Hospital in July 2015 revealed that the source of
                                    infection was originated from patient linen items supplied by a contractor-operated laundry. Whilst the Chief Infection Control
                                    Officer (CICO) undertook to review the Infection Prevention and Control Guidelines for Healthcare Linen, BSSD formed and
                                    steered a Working Group on Service Monitoring of Existing Laundry and Linen Services composed of laundry managers,
                                    hospital managers and representative from CSD to review the critical control points of laundry services and enhance the
                                    process control in the HA laundries and linen exchange rooms. Process control at critical control points is a crucial part of the
                                    laundry operation intertwining different aspects, including (1) workflow design; (2) process audit; (3) technology control; and (4)
                                    staff training. Checklists have been put in place to cover a series of performance measurements as a means to evaluate the
                                    effectiveness of control efforts.

                                    A third party consultant was engaged to conduct a review on the HA laundry services and make recommendations on areas
                                    of improvements. Cross-cluster monitoring of laundry service by laundry managers/hospital managers will also be arranged
                                    to enhance performance management and experience sharing.

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