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The Social Welfare Department (SWD) today (April 29) announced the list of eligible Recognised Service Providers (RSPs) for the first phase of the Pilot Scheme on Community Care Service Voucher for the Elderly, and held a briefing session for the RSPs this afternoon.
An SWD spokesman said, "The first phase of the Pilot Scheme will last two years starting from September 2013. The Pilot Scheme adopts a new funding mode, namely the 'money follows the user' approach whereby the Government provides vouchers at a single monthly value to eligible elderly persons joining the Pilot Scheme to let them choose freely and flexibly the service provider, the type of service and the service package to suit individual needs."
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 the SWD as moderately impaired and are waiting for subsidised community care service and/or residential care service in the Long Term Care Services Delivery System as well as living in the selected districts, namely Eastern, Wong Tai Sin, Kwun Tong, Sham Shui Po (covering elderly persons living in Yau Tsim Mong and Kowloon City districts), Sha Tin, Tai Po, Tsuen Wan and Tuen Mun. They must be living in the community without receiving any kind of residential care service or subsidised community care service, he said.
"A maximum of 1 200 vouchers will be issued during the first phase. The SWD will later invite eligible elderly people to join the Pilot Scheme. The department has taken reference of the unit cost of the subsidised Day Care Centre for the Elderly and Enhanced Home and Community Care Services in 2013-14. When the Pilot Scheme is carried out in September 2013, the voucher value will be adjusted from the original $5,000 per month to $5,800 per month."
The spokesman continued, "Through the introduction of this Pilot Scheme, the SWD also strives to encourage a wide spectrum of service providers, including non-governmental organisations and social enterprises, to join and provide a diversity of community care services.
"In January this year, the SWD invited eligible non-governmental organisations and social enterprises to submit applications for being RSPs. After vetting, a total of 62 RSPs, which are run by 29 non-governmental organisations and two social enterprises, have been confirmed as eligible to provide services to the voucher holders. Among them, 46 eligible RSPs are granted seed money totalling about $75 million to purchase necessary vehicles and/or furniture and equipment."
Please visit the SWD website (www.swd.gov.hk/doc/whatsnew/NamelistofRecognisedServiceProvider_eng.pdf) for the name list of the eligible RSPs.
For enquiries, please contact the Elderly Branch of the SWD at 2892 5513 or by email to voucheroffice@swd.gov.hk.
Ends/Monday, April 29, 2013
Issued at HKT 18:18
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