The first phase of the "The Pilot Scheme on Community Care Service Voucher for the Elderly" (Pilot Scheme), which is run by the Social Welfare Department (SWD), lasts for two years. It is targeting to issue 1 200 vouchers to the eligible elderly persons within two years.
As the latest situation, up to yesterday, about 240 eligible elderly persons have indicated that they will join the Pilot Scheme. After receiving the Voucher Certificate, the elderly persons may start to use the diversified services from next Monday (September 2). Their Responsible Workers, who have all along been following up their cases, will continue to offer assistance to the elderly persons concerned. SWD will continue to issue invitation letters.
The Director of Social Welfare, Ms Carol Yip, today (August 30) said, "The Pilot Scheme is adopting an innovative subsidising mode, called the 'money-follows-the-users' approach, providing an array of community care services (i.e. the day care centre or/and home care services) with high flexibility to cater to the personal needs of individual elderly persons and fulfilling their wish of ageing in place."
During the implementation of the Pilot Scheme, the Government continues to uphold the policy of "Ageing in place as the core, institutional care as back-up" and allocate resources to provide the necessary elderly services for the needy elderly persons. Furthermore, the government expenditure on the elderly services will not be reduced.
Ms Yip said, "We expect that after the eligible elderly persons and the Responsible Workers have an increased understanding of the details of the Pilot scheme, SWD will receive more applications. We are appealing to the eligible elderly persons and hope that more of them, after receiving the invitation, will consider it positively, and make the first move to join the Pilot Scheme and experience the benefits of the service personally."
She stressed that to enable the elderly persons to use the community care service under the Pilot Scheme without worry, the elderly persons do not need to give up their long term care services application. When they participate in the Pilot Scheme, their application date on the Central Waiting List of the Long Term Care Services will be retained. While joining the Pilot Scheme, the elderly persons concerned can raise the request at any time to their Responsible Workers to activate their application for long term care services, such that they can continue waitlisting for long term care services; and their place on the waiting list will be based on their original application date.
The Director reminded the elderly persons that each elderly person on the Central Waiting List has a Responsible Worker to follow up his/her application for the long term care service. In the process of application for the Pilot Scheme, the Responsible Workers will explain the Scheme to the elderly persons through home visits, interviews at centres with the elderly persons and their family members or carers. Each Responsible Worker will continue to follow up his/her respective elderly person's case, including assisting the elderly person to apply for the Pilot Scheme, explain the information in the Service Catalogue and to choose the appropriate services. The Responsible Worker will also assist the elderly person to choose the most suitable services according to his/her needs and wish.
As for the time schedule, the Director said that when an elderly person has received the invitation from relevant Responsible Worker, he/she will have three weeks to understand the Pilot Scheme with the assistance from the Responsible Worker. When he/she has indicated participation, the Responsible Worker will assist him/her to complete the application form for submission to SWD. Hence, eligible elderly persons have sufficient time to consider whether they will join the Scheme.
If the Responsible Workers are unable to submit the application within three weeks, for example, they cannot get in touch with the concerned elderly persons or due to special circumstances that the elderly persons cannot make a decision within three weeks, they may inform SWD for appropriate follow up while the elderly persons' application will not be closed instantly.
After the receipt of the Voucher Certificate issued by SWD, the elderly persons will have a period of three months to choose the appropriate Recognised Service Providers (RSPs).
The Director today paid a visit to Po Leung Kuk Lau Chan Siu Po District Elderly Community Centre in Kwun Tong so as to understand more about how the Responsible Worker briefs eligible elderly persons on the Pilot Scheme. Among the ten districts, Kwun Tong district is the one having the highest number of targeted eligible elderly persons and the RSPs.
This afternoon, the Assistant Director of Social Welfare (Elderly), Miss Cecilla Li, together with the representatives of the RSPs in Kwun Tong, held a press conference on the implementation details and the latest development of the Pilot Scheme.
The eligible participants of the first phase of the Pilot Scheme are those who have been assessed under the Standardised Care Need Assessment Mechanism for Elderly Service of SWD as moderately impaired and are waiting for subsidised community care service and/or residential care service in the Central Waiting List as well as living in Eastern, Kwun Tong, Wong Tai Sin, Yau Tsim Mong, Kowloon City, Sham Shui Po, Sha Tin, Tai Po, Tsuen Wan or Tuen Mun.
There are 62 non-profit-making RSPs with rich experience in community care service for the choice of the elderly persons. A total of 29 non-governmental organisations and two social enterprises are operating these 62 RSPs, of which 34 offer mixed mode service (i.e. day care and home care services). In September, 50 RSPs will be starting to provide service while 12 others starting from October to December.
Miss Li said that to facilitate the Responsible Workers to understand the content and operation of the Pilot Scheme so as to assist the elderly persons to choose the most appropriate RSP, service type, and the service package, SWD has produced a promotional leaflet and a Service Catalogue, which covers the services of 62 RSPs. Besides, to promote the Pilot Scheme, SWD has already held 13 briefing sessions in selected districts, and more than 700 Responsible Workers have participated. In addition, the District Social Welfare Offices in the selected districts have organised district promotional activities, including RSP briefing sessions and visits to RSP units.
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 voucheroffice@swd.gov.hk. Besides, please browse the SWD's homepage www.swd.gov.hk/en/index/site_pubsvc/page_elderly/sub_csselderly/id_psccsv/.
