ENG-2015 — Page 182

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Health

beds, 3,607 beds for the mentally ill and 660 beds for the mentally handicapped. In addition, there were 4,014 beds in private hospitals, 5,498 in nursing homes and 880 in institutions run by the Correctional Services Department. There are 5.22 beds per 1,000 people. Spending on secondary, tertiary and specialised healthcare services in both the public and private sectors amounted to about $55.5 billion in 2012-13, of which spending on public specialist outpatient and inpatient services accounted for 74 per cent.

In 2014-15, about $9.6 billion was spent on secondary and tertiary ambulatory medical services provided by the Hospital Authority's specialist clinics. The clinics cover a wide range of specialties, including internal medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics, orthopaedics and traumatology, ear, nose and throat, ophthalmology, psychiatry, neurosurgery, oncology and cardio-thoracic surgery.

In 2015, the Hospital Authority's specialist outpatient clinics recorded more than 7.3 million. attendances. Appointments for new patients are made on the basis of the severity of their clinical condition in order to ensure patients with acute conditions are given priority. Patients in stable condition are referred to primary care practitioners in the private sector or the Hospital Authority's general outpatient clinics for follow-up.

Allied Health Service

Allied health professionals working under the Hospital Authority include audiologists, clinical psychologists, dietitians, occupational therapists, optometrists, orthoptists, physiotherapists, podiatrists, prosthetists and orthotists, speech therapists and medical social workers. They provide rehabilitative and extended care to help patients receiving inpatient, outpatient, ambulatory and community care services to reintegrate into society. In 2015, the Hospital Authority's allied health outpatient departments recorded about 2.52 million attendances.

Inpatient Services

In 2014-15, $33.3 billion was spent on inpatient services provided by public hospitals. A total of 1.66 million inpatients and day patients were discharged in 2015.

Accident and Emergency Services

Accident and emergency services are provided at 17 public hospitals, delivering a high standard of service for critically ill or injured people and victims of disasters. In 2014-15, $2.5 billion was spent on these services. In 2015, 1.29 million people paid 2.23 million visits to the accident and emergency departments of public hospitals, an average of around 6,100 attendances per day.

Patients attending the accident and emergency departments of public hospitals are classified under five categories according to their clinical conditions: critical cases come under Category 1, emergency cases under Category 2, urgent cases under Category 3, semi-urgent cases under Category 4, and non-urgent cases under Category 5. The triage system ensures patients with more urgent needs receive prompt treatment. In 2015, all Category 1 patients received immediate treatment while 97 per cent of Category 2 patients were treated within 15 minutes.

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Consisting of all beds in the Hospital Authority's hospitals, private hospitals, nursing homes and correctional institutions.

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