This work analysed the appointment system of outpatient clinics serving multiple patient classes with different flow sequences through the multi-phase-multi-server service system. Scarce resources are doctors, nurses and medical professionals with different start times and availability. Block appointment systems are typically used in public hospitals to help regulate patient flow while minimising patient waiting time, staff overtime and waiting room congestion. The patient scheduling problem in this complex environment is formulated by a mixed integer programme (MIP). Making use of waiting time information, an adaptive scheduling heuristic is designed to improve an initial schedule iteratively by identifying procedures with large average waiting times and reassigning their related patient classes to less congested time blocks probabilistically. An impact index based on the weighted multi-objective function is developed to allow servers select an available patient for the next treatment. A memory of distinct solutions is maintained to avoid recycling. Experiments are conducted based on a case study of an eye clinic in a public hospital. Performance is evaluated by comparing with the MIP and well-known dispatching rules for job shop scheduling problems. Sensitivity analysis is conducted for increase in appointment quota, two alternative staffing plans and changes in patient class distribution.

Wheelchair users often face both physical and psychological barriers to employment due to restrictions on body movement and inadequate infrastructure in the environment. Over the years, the Hong Kong government and authorities have gradually improved barrier-free access in establishments and major transport service. Employment support has been offered in terms of job pairing, subsidies for employers, and training programs while regulation is not adopted. Individual voices of wheelchair users were usually conveyed through local community groups working to serve their needs. The collection of quantitative data on the employment situation of wheelchair users could provide evidence for representatives to address their concerns during discussions with government committees. While environmental obstructions are removable, personal barriers and motivating factors are less visible and endogenous. This collaboration project with a social enterprise has collected employment data of their members who are wheelchair users and explored factors associated with their employment prospects.

A regional general hospital in Hong Kong has a plan to construct a new high-rise block to provide a comprehensive range of ambulatory medical services. The objective of this paper is to determine the capacity of the lift system in the new block to meet a specific service standard. As the demand for lift services in a building varies significantly with the number of lift users and their movement within the building, the paper identifies the major user types, studies the essential characteristics of each user type, models their movement in the block and plans the capacity of the system using simulation. The management of the hospital can make use of the simulation results to determine the required capacity.

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