SWD to invite eligible persons to join first phase of "Pilot Scheme on Community Care Service Voucher for the Elderly" tomorrow


Hong Kong (HKSAR) – The Social Welfare Department (SWD) will, starting from tomorrow (July 22), invite eligible elderly persons in batches to join the “Pilot Scheme on Community Care Service (CCS) Voucher for the Elderly” (Pilot Scheme).

Eligible elderly persons who are currently on the Central Waiting List of the Long Term Care Services will be invited by the SWD, according to the order of their application dates, through their respective Responsible Workers.

An SWD spokesman said that a maximum of 1 200 vouchers will be issued, and the elderly persons may choose from a total of 62 non-profit-making Recognised Service Providers (RSPs) experienced in providing community care services. Among the 62 RSPs run by 29 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and two social enterprises, 34 RSPs will provide mixed mode of services (that is, both day care and home care services).

Eligible participants of the first phase of the Pilot Scheme are those who have been assessed by the Standardised Care Need Assessment Mechanism for Elderly Service of the SWD as moderately impaired and are on the Central Waiting List for subsidised CCS and/or residential care service (RCS). They have to be residing in Eastern, Kwun Tong, Wong Tai Sin, Yau Tsim Mong, Kowloon City, Sham Shui Po, Sha Tin, Tai Po, Tsuen Wan or Tuen Mun and living in the community without receiving any kind of RCS or subsidised CCS.

The spokesman said, “Each elderly person on the Central Waiting List is being taken care of by a Responsible Worker regarding his/her long term care service application.

The Responsible Worker will introduce the Pilot Scheme to the elderly person as well as his/her family members or carers and assist needy elderly persons to complete and send the application forms to the SWD. The application procedure is simple. Those who are interested in joining the Pilot Scheme just need to declare the income of the family members living with them in the application forms.

The SWD will determine the co-payment amount of an applicant according to his/her household income and will issue the first batch of voucher certificates in late August. The less the elderly persons can afford, the more the Government will subsidise. This principle has all along been adopted in various subsidised CCS programmes.

“There is no need for the elderly persons to choose the RSPs when they submit their applications.

They could decide within three months after the voucher certificate is issued and hence there is ample time for them to compare the service details of different RSPs. When necessary, the elderly persons could seek assistance from respective Responsible Workers. When the voucher certificate is issued to an elderly person by the SWD, a service catalogue of the RSPs will also be provided to them for reference,” he said.

The spokesman continued, “To facilitate voucher holders to select services, RSPs will upload information on service packages, price lists of additional and/or non-essential services, as well as target elderly persons to be served (e.g.

elderly persons with dementia), etc. onto their webpages and SWD’s (www.swd.gov.hk) for voucher holders, their family members or carers’ reference.”

For enquiry, please contact the Elderly Branch of SWD at 2116 2745 or by e-mail to [email protected].


Source: HKSAR Government

Published on: 2013-07-21

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