Hong Kong ombudsman slams bad ‘attitude’, resource use of care homes after probe

Hong Kong social welfare authorities should strengthen supervision of care homes and review their resource allocation, the ombudsman has urged, after its investigation found some facilities were unduly selective when admitting applicants and were underused or even completely unused.

The Office of the Ombudsman on Thursday also criticised the “lukewarm attitude” of the institutions in providing help and information, adding that the overall utilisation rate of services was persistently low and unevenly distributed by district.

The ombudsman announced an investigation into respite services for carers of elderly people and those with disabilities in August 2024. Investigators spent months conducting covert phone probes into 46 facilities by posing as prospective applicants.

Under the Social Welfare Department’s respite service schemes, the elderly or people with disabilities can sign up for residential or day care services subsidised by the government at care homes, at rates ranging from HK$30 to HK$72 (US$3.86 to US$9.25) per day, to alleviate the workload on carers.

All 46 premises investigated by the office indicated that vacancies were available under the Social Welfare Department’s inquiry system, but 20 told investigators that there were no vacancies, while a further nine failed to confirm availability.

Ombudsman Jack Chan Jick-chi said such mismatches in information reflected the institutions’ poor attitude, while also creating difficulties for persons in need, as well as for the carer service hotline and social workers trying to arrange appropriate services.