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Following is a question by the Dr Hon Kwok Ka-ki and a written reply by the Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Dr York Chow, in the Legislative Council today (June 20):
Question:
It has been reported that last year, the Hospital Authority (HA) commissioned a consultant firm to conduct a work-related staff opinion survey in which HA staff were invited to give scores to 18 items, including job stability, satisfaction, sense of belonging, remuneration package, workload, corporate image and training, etc. The results showed that the satisfaction levels of HA staff in respect of items such as working environment, satisfaction and leadership of supervisors had dropped sharply and fallen below those in the 2004 survey. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether it knows the scores given to each item by each of the ranks of health care staff in each hospital in the report of the above survey, and whether HA will respond to the scores by developing corresponding measures to improve situations such as staff working overtime and being remunerated differently for the same kind of jobs, so as to enhance job satisfaction of its staff?
Reply:
Madam President,
The Hospital Authority (HA) commissions regularly consultancies to conduct staff opinion surveys so as to gauge staff's concerns on management issues and assess the effectiveness of various management improvement measures. The latest survey was conducted from October to November in 2006. The staff opinion survey is one of the internal communication channels between the HA management and its staff. The findings of the survey are for HA's internal reference.
The findings of the survey revealed that the HA staff were positive on a number of aspects such as job security, working relationships, job satisfaction, empowerment, etc. Having analysed the findings, the HA decided to focus on five specific aspects of which the staff were concerned about and implement corresponding management improvement measures. These aspects include workload, career development, staff engagement, performance evaluation and change management.
Improvement measures that have been implemented by the HA include re-appointment of contract staff on permanent terms; improved terms of employment for part-time staff; introduction of the five-day week and the Executive Leadership Programme, etc. The arrangement to re-appoint contract staff on permanent terms has been in place since 2006. HA staff on contract terms with six years of service and good performance may apply for re-appointment on permanent terms. In 2006-07, more than 600 HA contract staff were re-appointed on permanent terms. The HA has also introduced the five-day week by phases at the HA Head Office and clusters' hospitals since April 2007. At present, some 900 staff in the HA Head Office have switched to the five-day week. The clusters' hospitals will also introduce the five-day week by phases. These two measures will help improve the working environment and staff engagement of the HA staff. On the other hand, the HA in early 2007, has launched the Executive Leadership Programme which is expected to provide training for 25 to 30 senior executives and healthcare professionals each year, with a view to enhancing HA's overall leadership and capacity to manage changes.
The HA is also considering other improvement measures, including the establishment of a clear professional development structure for staff of non-clinical grades, such as staff of the information technology division and finance division; and reviewing the working hours, remuneration package and promotion prospects of frontline doctors, with a view to addressing their concerns on issues related to their career prospects, job security and workload, etc.
The HA will continue to maintain communication with its staff and review the effectiveness of the measures implemented. It will also seek the views of its staff on future improvement measures to be implemented.
Ends/Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Issued at HKT 12:51
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