Unique | Hong Kong’s aged ‘No 1 precedence’ as welfare chief reveals new measures being studied amid string of tragedies

“[Supporting] the aged is my No 1 precedence.”

Hong Kong is now a “super-aged society”, as outlined by the Organisation for Financial Cooperation and Growth, the place the aged make up 21 per cent or extra of the full inhabitants.

Round 1.68 million folks aged 65 and above lived in Hong Kong final 12 months, in accordance with official statistics, accounting for 22.4 per cent of the 7.5 million inhabitants.

Restricted land allotted for care companies concentrating on the aged and staffing shortages have been among the many difficulties the sector confronted, Solar famous.

To spice up the workforce, the federal government plans an extra quota of 8,000 care employees in batches over the following three years to a particular labour importation scheme for residential care properties, beginning within the third quarter of 2024.

Solar stated imported employees have been wanted to fulfill rising demand at care properties which had struggled to recruit sufficient employees in addition to for newly constructed services, as employees shortages affected service high quality and will additionally delay the opening of web sites.

“It’s depressing for aged residents in care properties to solely take a bathe each few days,” he stated.

“However with the importation of employees and their cooperation with native employees, care companies will be strengthened, with residents capable of not less than take a bathe as soon as a day.”

However Solar dismissed issues importing employees would take away jobs from native employees or discourage them from becoming a member of the business, including the federal government was exploring methods to draw and retain them.

Solar stated he hoped native employees, particularly younger folks, might transfer up the profession ladder to grow to be better-paid well being employees after which enrolled nurses, supported by new development paths to be designed by the authorities.

Plans embrace adopting a skills-based avenue for workers to advance to the next rank by coaching, he stated, noting the present tutorial requirement of getting accomplished Kind 5 research or above barred less-educated middle-aged ladies from changing into well being employees.

“We’re exploring the development path to offer alternatives for employees to advance and enrich their work, so younger folks shall be prepared to take the job,” he stated.

Dr Lam Ching-choi, who chairs a steering committee on a assessment of manpower at care properties, instructed the Submit he anticipated the brand new profession development path to be launched in 2026, after completion of the evaluation by a advisor and approval by the authorities and the Legislative Council.

Because the inhabitants ages, extra persons are caring for aged members of the family at dwelling, and mounting stress has resulted in a string of tragedies during which carers took their very own lives or attacked these they have been taking care of.

The incidents sparked requires higher assist for carers, not solely the underprivileged but in addition these from better-off households.

To offer assist to carers, the federal government earlier launched a collection of measures comparable to a 24-hour hotline and a delegated web site for them.

Solar stated the authorities would additionally discover recruiting neighborhood nannies to supply dwelling take care of the aged to provide their carers a break.

The concept is much like the federal government’s Neighbourhood Assist Youngster Care Venture, which recruits assist employees in the neighborhood to take care of kids.

“Kids now have neighborhood nannies, and a few urged the same idea will also be utilized to assist the aged … to have somebody substitute their carers to take care of them at dwelling,” he stated.

However he famous obstacles comparable to carers’ confidence in assist employees’ capabilities, in addition to the problem of legal responsibility, wanted to be addressed.

The brand new batch of services shall be operated solely by mainland companies, in contrast to the prevailing 4 below the scheme that are run by Hong Kong NGOs or non-public companies.

“We must always not restrict ourselves to our personal space in aged care,” Solar stated, including that residents would profit from greater residing areas, extra plentiful manpower and decrease prices throughout the border.

The bay space refers to Beijing’s scheme to hyperlink Hong Kong, Macau and 9 Guangdong cities into an built-in financial and enterprise hub.

Individually, Solar defended legislative amendments to reform the Social Employees Registration Board, which oversees 27,000 workers within the sector.

He stated he was not anxious the transfer would pressure relations between the authorities and social employees or have an effect on future cooperation, regardless of a board member just lately resigning.

The board lacked a mechanism to bar nationwide safety offenders from changing into registered professionals and it had a problematic code of observe, he stated, reiterating earlier accusations.

“We hope to carry the board on monitor by the amendments,” he stated.

In Could, the town’s key decision-making Govt Council backed the amendments to extend the scale of the board from 15 to 27 with extra government-appointed members than elected ones.

The federal government’s amendments may even permit the physique to promptly deregister social employees convicted of sure crimes and completely disqualify these concerned in critical offences comparable to endangering nationwide safety.

The Social Employees Registration (Modification) Invoice was launched into the legislature final month for scrutiny.