Editorial | Hong Kong’s respite agencies must be held accountable for refusing services

Social welfare in Hong Kong is characterised by an extensive network of heavily subsidised services provided by the government and agencies. However, that does not mean those in need will not fall through the safety net because of slack supervision, bureaucracy and malpractices across the sector. A case in point is the respite services for supporting carers of the elderly and people with disabilities.

The array of problems unearthed during site inspections and covert phone inquiries by the watchdog was astonishing. For instance, some agencies turned down urgent cases on the grounds of insufficient staff, required prior interviews to assess the physical and mental condition of applicants or imposed excessive medical tests. Many just immediately shunned the calls, saying there were no vacancies, while others refused applications for short-term use.

The responses make a mockery of a well-intentioned policy to alleviate the pressure on carers of the elderly and people with disabilities. Currently, they can sign up for temporary subsidised day care or residential services, at rates ranging from HK$30 to HK$72 (US$3.86 to US$9.25) per day. As of March, there were 670 day respite spots and 304 residential ones for the elderly. Additionally, there were 237 day care places and 444 residential spots for people with disabilities.

The numbers are no match for the growing demand for such supporting services. But the services offer timely relief to those who need to take a break from the stressful duty of looking after their ailing and vulnerable family members.

The watchdog said it could not rule out that the problems had contributed to low utilisation. According to the report, the average utilisation rates ranged from only 50 to 60 per cent for the elderly, and only 10 to 20 per cent for people with disabilities, with certain agencies and districts even at zero.