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The Social Welfare Department (SWD) will regularise the Home Care Service for Persons with Severe Disabilities (HCS) from next month and extend it to the severely disabled in all districts in Hong Kong, irrespective of whether they are on the waiting list for subvented residential care services.
The SWD launched the three-year Pilot Scheme on Home Care Service for Persons with Severe Disabilities in March 2011 to provide a package of home-based care services for persons with severe disabilities on the waiting list for subvented residential care services living in Kwun Tong, Wong Tai Sin, Kwai Tsing and Tuen Mun.
An SWD spokesman today (February 28) said that in view of the effectiveness of the pilot scheme in achieving its set objectives, the department had decided to regularise the HCS upon the expiry of the scheme with a recurrent funding of about $200 million per year. The service will comprise personal care and escort service, nursing care and occupational and physiotherapy rehabilitation training which aim to facilitate social integration of persons with severe disabilities in the community and to release the burden of their family members or carers.
The target service users, the spokesman said, shall include persons with severe disabilities who are on the waiting list for subvented residential care service of hostels for the severely physically handicapped, hostels for the severely mentally handicapped or care and attention homes for severely disabled persons; and those with severe disabilities assessed to be eligible for the service in accordance with the Assessment Tool for HCS. Persons with severe disabilities attending special schools as well as family members or carers of the above-mentioned persons with disabilities are also eligible users.
The service will be provided by the following six non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the districts specified below:
Regional Areas of NGO Contact
clusters service operators telephone
numbers
Hong Kong Central, Tung Wah 2803 2103
Western, Group of
Southern Hospitals
and Islands;
Eastern; and
Wan Chai
Kowloon (1) Kowloon City Yang Memorial 2337 9966
and Yau Tsim Methodist
Mong; Social Service
Sham Shui Po;
and
Tseung Kwan O
Kowloon (2) Kwun Tong and Christian Family 3996 8515
Wong Tai Sin Service Centre
New Sha Tin; SAHK 2602 8900
Territories Tai Po and
(1) North;
and Sai Kung
New Tsuen Wan, Po Leung Kuk 2486 3888
Territories Yuen Long
(2) and Tin Shui
Wai
New Tuen Mun, The Neighbour- 2618 0411
Territories Kwai Chung hood Advice-
(3) and Tsing Action Council
Yi
People eligible for the service can either approach the above-mentioned NGO operators or apply for the service through social workers. For further service information, please call the NGO operators concerned direct or browse the SWD homepage (www.swd.gov.hk).
Ends/Friday, February 28, 2014
Issued at HKT 15:16
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