Holding senior managers at public hospitals accountable for blunders means they have the responsibility to try to prevent them from happening, medical sector lawmaker David Lam said on Friday, after the Hospital Authority vowed to improve its governance and accountability. A review committee put forward more than 30 recommendations to the Hospital Authority, including enhancing top-level oversight for quality and safety issues, as well as defining the roles, responsibilities and authority at various levels. Lam, a member of the review committee, said strengthening accountability at a higher level meant it won't just be frontline staff taking the blame whenever a medical incident happens. "That puts a responsibility on the senior management that they have to maintain a low complication rate or a low incident rate in their department. And a way to do so is to make sure the staff are adequately trained and adequately staffed," Lam told RTHK. The lawmaker added it's important to build up a "good portal of communication" among all levels of hospital staff, with the review noting junior employees not always willing to speak up even when they spotted problems. "The senior staff should start the ball rolling, and encourage the frontline staff or the junior staff to talk to them whenever necessary," he said.
