Replies to LegCo questions

LCQ3: Assistance for persons in need during cold spells

Following is a question by the Hon Chan Yuen-han and a reply by the Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Dr York Chow, in the Legislative Council today (January 17):

Question:

During cold spells, people in need, especially the elderly, may call the 24-hour hotline of the Social Welfare Department (SWD) for assistance. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a) of the number of such calls received in the past five years by the SWD hotline and the assistance offered to the callers by SWD;

(b) whether the Integrated Family Service Centres in various districts keep stocks of blankets and warm clothing so that they can be readily distributed to the people in need ; and

(c) given that during cold spells there are always cases in which people are hospitalized because of illnesses triggered by low temperature and some may even die consequently, whether SWD will draw up improvement measures to reduce the number of such cases; if it will, whether such measures include distributing warmer quilts in place of blankets, or allowing the people in need to take more than one blanket; if not, the reasons for that?


Reply:

Madam President,

(a) During cold spells, people in need (including the elderly and street sleepers, etc.) may call the 24-hour hotline of the Social Welfare Department (SWD) at 2343 2255 for emergency assistance. All calls made to the SWD hotline outside office hours will be transferred to the hotline of the Family Crisis Support Centre (FCSC) of the Caritas, which is manned by social workers. The social workers will, in light of individual circumstances, assess the needs of the caller and arrange for appropriate assistance or referrals, including advising the caller of the nearby temporary cold shelters run by the Home Affairs Department (HAD) and supplying warming items.

The number of calls for assistance received by the SWD hotline during cold spells in the past five years (the figures include the calls transferred to the FCSC hotline outside office hours) is shown in the Table.

Starting from the winter of 2003, the SWD has adopted a new service mode to render early assistance to the people in need before the arrival of cold spells. As a result, the number of calls for assistance to the SWD hotline during cold spells has decreased appreciably in recent years.

(b) At present, blankets, together with other warming items (such as warm clothing, scarfs, woollen headpieces, gloves, milk powder, biscuits, instant cup soup and noodles) procured through community resources or donated by the community, are stocked in the 41 District Elderly Community Centres, 61 Integrated Family Service Centres and 3 Integrated Services Team for Street Sleepers (ISTSS) across the territory. These provisions will be distributed to people in need during cold spells.

(c) In providing social services, the SWD places emphasis on prevention and early intervention. Whenever the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) forecasts the approach of cold weather in seven days' time, the SWD will liaise with relevant social service units to monitor and care for the needs of the elderly and other people in need. District Social Welfare Offices will, in conjunction with relevant non-governmental organisations, visit the people in need, identify their needs early and provide them with the necessary warm clothing before the arrival of the cold spells.

When the cold weather warning is on, the SWD will request the support teams for the elderly and local elderly service units to call senior citizens to remind them to stay alert of weather changes and the ways to keep warm. The support teams for the elderly and ISTSS will also increase their number of visits and telephone calls to the needy, provide the latter with appropriate types and quantities of warming items, and arrange street sleepers to stay in the temporary cold shelters run by the HAD.

Regarding the provision of blankets, the SWD will, in light of district needs, supply the appropriate quantities of blankets to district social service units. Compared to quilts, blankets are easier to store and wash. They also facilitate public collection. The SWD spends about $160,000 each year to procure 2,400 blankets, which are distributed to relevant district social service units as stocks for the people in need. Service recipients may take more than one blanket depending on their individual needs.

When the HKO forecasts the weather will turn cold, the DH will alert the public, especially the high risk groups (including children, the elderly and the chronically ill), to prepare for the cold weather through the mass media. Moreover, the DH's visiting health teams organise health talks for the elderly regularly. The topics of such talks cover measures to keep warm in cold weather. The DH also collaborates with the SWD and other relevant organisations to distribute pamphlets to senior citizens to provide the latter with tips on keeping warm.

During winters, district community support services units for elders also organise various winter kit / concern visit programmes. Moreover, talks on warming measures are organized for senior citizens. From November 2006 to March 2007, an estimated total of over 1,400 winter kit / concern visit programmes and over 2,200 talks have been / will be held across the territory, benefiting more than 78,000 and 75,000 elders respectively.

I would like to take this opportunity to remind the general public that during cold weather, we should take note of the weather forecast, wear appropriately warm clothing, take sufficient food and drink with a high calorie content, perform regular exercise, stay in a warm environment and maintain adequate indoor ventilation. If you feel unwell, you should seek medical attention. Above all, we should be more attentive to the people around us, including our family members and neighbours. We should pay attention to their health conditions and needs and provide them with appropriate care and assistance if necessary.

Thank you, Madam President.


Ends/Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Issued at HKT 12:58

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Attachment:
Table to LCQ3